Is Pope Francis Resigning?

June 8, 2022June 16, 2022 The Associated PressProfile, Religion 0

Pope Francis added fuel to rumors about the future of his pontificate by announcing he would visit the central Italian city of L’Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs who resigned before Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013.

Italian and Catholic media have been rife with unsourced speculation that the 85-year-old Francis might be planning to follow in Benedict’s footsteps, given his increased mobility problems that have forced him to use a wheelchair for the last month.

Those rumors gained steam last week when Francis announced a consistory to create 21 new cardinals scheduled for Aug. 27. Sixteen of those cardinals are under age 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect Francis’ successor.

Once they are added to the ranks of princes of the church, Francis will have stacked the College of Cardinals with 83 of the 132 voting-age cardinals. While there is no guarantee how the cardinals might vote, the chances that they will tap a successor who shares Francis’ pastoral priorities become ever greater.

In announcing the Aug. 27 consistory, Francis also announced he would host two days of talks the following week to brief the cardinals about his recent apostolic constitution reforming the Vatican bureaucracy. That document, which goes into effect Sunday, allows women to head Vatican offices, imposes term limits on priestly Vatican employees and positions the Holy See as an institution at the service of local churches, rather than vice versa.

Francis was elected pope in 2013 on a mandate to reform the Roman Curia. Now that the nine-year project has been rolled out and at least partially implemented, Francis’ main task as pope has in some ways been accomplished.

All of which made Saturday’s otherwise routine announcement of a pastoral visit to L’Aquila carry more speculative weight than it might otherwise have.

Notable was the timing: The Vatican and the rest of Italy are usually on holiday in August to mid-September, with all but essential business closed. Calling a major consistory in late August to create new cardinals, gathering churchmen for two days of talks on implementing his reform and making a symbolically significant pastoral visit suggests Francis might have out-of-the-ordinary business in mind.

“With today’s news that @Pontifex will go to L’Aquila in the very middle of the August consistory, it all got even more intriguing,” tweeted Vatican commentator Robert Mickens, linking to an essay he had published in La Croix International about the rumors swirling around the future of the pontificate.

The basilica in L’Aquila hosts the tomb of Celestine V, a hermit pope who resigned after five months in 1294, overwhelmed by the job. In 2009, Benedict visited L’Aquila, which had been devastated by a recent earthquake and prayed at Celestine’s tomb, leaving his pallium stole on it.

No one at the time appreciated the significance of the gesture. But four years later, the 85-year-old Benedict would follow in Celestine’s footsteps and resign, saying he no longer had the strength of body and mind to carry on the rigors of the papacy.

Pope Benedict XVI kisses a baby being held up to him, in Coppito, near L’Aquila, Italy, in 2009. Four years later, the 85-year-old Benedict announced he no longer had the strength of body and mind to carry on the rigors of the papacy.

The Vatican announced Saturday Francis would visit L’Aquila to celebrate Mass on Aug. 28 and open the “Holy Door” at the basilica hosting Celestine’s tomb. The timing coincides with the L’Aquila church’s celebration of the Feast of Forgiveness, which was created by Celestine in a papal bull.

No pope has travelled to L’Aquila since to close out the annual feast, which celebrates the sacrament of forgiveness so dear to Francis, noted the current archbishop of L’Aquila, Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi.

“We hope that all people, especially those harmed by conflicts and internal divisions, might (come) and find the path of solidarity and peace,” he said in a statement announcing the visit.

Francis has praised Benedict’s decision to retire as “opening the door” for future popes to do the same, and he had originally predicted a short papacy for himself of two to five years.

Nine years later, Francis has shown no signs he wants to step down, and he has major projects still on the horizon.

In addition to upcoming trips this year to Congo, South Sudan, Canada and Kazakhstan, in 2023 he has scheduled a major meeting of the world’s bishops to debate the increasing decentralization of the Catholic Church, as well as the continued implementation of his reforms.

But Francis has been hobbled by the strained ligaments in his right knee that have made walking painful and difficult. He has told friends he doesn’t want to undergo surgery, reportedly because of his reaction to anesthesia last July when he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine removed.

This week, one of his closest advisers and friends, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, said talk of a papal resignation or the end of Francis’ pontificate was unfounded.

“I think these are optical illusions, cerebral illusions,” Maradiaga told Religion Digital, a Spanish-language Catholic site.

Christopher Bellitto, a church historian at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, noted that most Vatican watchers expect Francis will eventually resign, but not before Benedict dies. The 95-year-old retired pope is physically frail but still alert and receiving occasional visitors in his home in the Vatican gardens.

“He’s not going to have two former popes floating around,” Bellitto said in an email. Referring to Francis’ planned visit to L’Aquila, he suggested not reading too much into it, noting that Benedict’s gesture in 2009 was missed by most everyone.

“I don’t recall a lot of stories at the time saying that Benedict’s visit in 2009 made us think he was going to resign,” he said, suggesting that Francis’ pastoral visit to l’Aquila might be just that: a pastoral visit.

Elizabeth II’s 70 Years As Queen Of England And Head Of The Church Of England

June 8, 2022June 16, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Religion, Women 0

If you want to understand a nation, listen to its national anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” urges Americans to look out for the flag that waves over “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” “La Marseillaise,” the anthem of republican France, calls its citizens to arms. But the UK’s national anthem is a prayer, urging God to “save” — grant long life to — the queen.

It’s a clear sign that in Britain, the head of state, the country and faith are inextricably linked. This week “God Save the Queen” has been ringing out across Britain as the country has marked the 70^th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II, the longest-serving English monarch.

When Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, Britain was still being rebuilt after the end of World War II and its heavy bombing campaigns; Winston Churchill was prime minister and the country still had an empire. The young queen’s coronation suggested a new era — as the millions of television sets purchased to watch the live broadcast of the ceremony from London’s Westminster Abbey signaled.

But the coronation itself was steeped in tradition and confirmed the continuing intertwining of the monarchy and religion. The ceremony can be traced back more than 1,000 years and involves the anointing of the monarch who commits his or herself to a life of service to God and the people through sacred promises. One of those, to uphold the Protestant religion, is also a reminder of the religious divisions of the past.

The queen’s two titles of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, given to her at her accession, also owe their existence to Reformation history. Defender of the Faith was first bestowed on Henry VIII by a grateful pope for the English king’s rebuttal of the teachings of Martin Luther, a title that Henry defiantly held onto even after breaking with Rome to found the Church of England. He made himself head, while his daughter, the first Elizabeth, called herself Supreme Governor of the Church of England, saying Jesus Christ was its head.

Today, the role of Supreme Governor indicates the British monarch retains a constitutional role regarding the established Church of England but does not govern or manage it. The modern Elizabeth has left that to the bishops, although she addresses general synods and has a role as a listener and guide to her primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

But while Defender of the Faith has been over the years an inherited title and little more, Elizabeth II appears to have embraced it and made it her own, speaking out very openly in recent years about her own Christian faith and explaining how it has provided the framework of her life.

She has done this mostly through the medium of her annual Christmas message, a tradition begun by her grandfather, George V, in 1932, and continued by her father, George VI. Her early Christmas Day broadcasts were platitudinous — the holidays as an occasion for family was a frequent theme. In 2000, however, she spoke of the Millennium as the 2,000-year anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, “who was destined to change the course of our history.”

She went on to speak very personally and frankly about her faith: “For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.” Similar sentiments have been aired at Christmas ever since.

God did get significant mention along the way. In 1947, when she was 21 and six years from becoming queen, Elizabeth broadcast a public commitment, saying: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service … God help me to make good my vow.”

As she planned her coronation with dress fittings, selecting music and getting the crown jewels from their display in the Tower of London, there were also sessions with then-Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher, who provided her with a book of special prayers — a volume she keeps to this day among her most treasured possessions.

The spiritual foundations of the British monarchy are to be found in Scripture’s ideas about humility and wisdom being the great virtues of kings. Then there are the Gospels, with accounts of Jesus, the servant king, who has come to serve others. Key passages on this theme, from the Gospels of John and Matthew, are read at a Maundy Thursday service where the queen distributes gifts to elderly people, an ancient ceremony meant to imitate Christ serving his disciples by washing their feet.

The queen also leads the nation at regular services honoring the war dead, or offering thanksgiving for her jubilees, but worship is not, for her, only a public show. She has attended church regularly throughout her life and is said to have an uncomplicated, Bible and prayer-book based faith.

That love of the Bible was something she shared with the American evangelist Billy Graham, whom she invited to preach for her on several occasions (though the close friendship the Netflix series “The Crown” suggested between them seems far-fetched). She relies on the deans of Windsor — the clerics who run St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married — for spiritual solace.

Her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, and her son, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, always displayed a more intellectual curiosity about religion, including a great interest in both other Christian denominations and other faiths. Over the years, as Britain has become increasingly diverse, Elizabeth has expressed an increasing openness as well. She has encouraged members of all faiths to be present at great church occasions during her reign and in the annual Commonwealth Day service held at Westminster Abbey. She regularly meets different faith leaders, including five popes — a remarkable turnaround for a monarchy that once broke so spectacularly from Rome — though she has not gone so far as to ask other religious leaders to play any sort of role for her, such as be a chaplain.

There has been talk of disestablishment of the Church of England, even in Anglican circles, with some concern it privileges one religious group above others in an increasingly diverse nation. Disestablishment would unravel the connection between the monarch, the Church of England and the state, which survives in Britain since the time of the Reformation. Change would mean the removal of Church of England bishops from the House of Lords, although there has been little call for this from other faiths. Rather, they prefer representation of faith at the highest levels of the British Parliament.

But that issue of privileging seemed apparent when the queen spoke at Lambeth Palace in 2012, suggesting the Church of England might act as a sort of umbrella under which other faiths might shelter, by saying Anglicanism “has a duty to protect the free practice of all other faiths in this country.”

The importance of other faiths was expressed Friday morning at the Platinum Jubilee thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral, in London, where not only leaders of Christian denominations but of other faiths were present, including Buddhists and Jews.

One major difference at today’s thanksgiving service compared to previous ones for her reign’s major anniversaries was the frequent references to looking after God’s creation. In the twilight years of her reign, she is coming to share Prince Charles’ interest in the environment, but placing it firmly within her Christian concerns.

Attention is inevitably turning now to the next reign, with speculation about how much of an Anglican ceremony the next coronation will be. The Church of England will undoubtedly take the lead, but just as Princess Diana’s Westminster Abbey funeral combined tradition and innovation, as Commonwealth Day services have done for years, the next coronation will most likely offer that blend, too.

Charles once said he would become Defender of Faith, rather than Defender of the Faith, expressing concern that he needed to recognize the changing religious nature of Britain. He has since retracted this, indicating he will adopt the traditional title. Even so, he has engaged frequently with other faiths, particularly Judaism and Islam.

His interest in Islam has in part been aesthetic, with a particular appreciation for Islamic art and architecture, but he has also commented on its metaphysical, holistic view of the world and humanity’s place in it, even as he has also expressed concerns about the radicalization of young people. While this interest in Islam and an awareness of the growing population of Muslims in Britain has led to his support for Islamic organizations, such as the Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford, in more recent years he has reined back on it a little and instead become far more outspoken about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

The Prince of Wales has undoubtedly been innovative in his work, creating charities that work with young people, and championing the environment. But he likes tradition, too, be it church music or the Book of Common Prayer. All signs are that his coronation will be like the man, with an innovative sheen on ancient tradition and a sincere regard for faith in diverse Britain.

Catherine Pepinster is the author of “Defenders of the Faith – the British Monarchy, Religion and the Next Coronation,” published by Hodder and Stoughton.

Pamela Kwatra From New Jersey Honored With The Lifetime Achievement Award

June 8, 2022June 16, 2022 Ajay GhoshProfile, Women 0

Pamela Kwatra, a trailblazer and the only Indian American woman recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor award in 2008, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during a solemn awards ceremony jointly organized by The Consulate General of India in New York and The Indo-American Press Club (IAPC), the largest organization of Indian descent journalists operating in North America , at the Indian Consulate, New York, NY on Saturday, May 21^st, 2022.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was the guest of honor at the IAPC Induction Ceremony and the Awards Nite Gala presented the award at the Grand Ballroom of the Consulate in New York, which was attended by several community leaders, elected officials, diplomats, media personnel and professionals.

Calling her a “highly accomplished leader” Mayor Bill de Blasio praised her contributions to the larger American society and to the Indian American community. Mayor Bill de Blasio showered praises on Ms. Kwatra for taking up on herself a key role in his election campaign that no other individual has been able to do.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, while congratulating Pam Kwatra on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, described her as “a trailblazing businesswoman, a community leader, and a political force with executive chops. No wonder she worked on important projects in my administration at my request. I also came to know that her involvement with the community spans across culture, art & literature – preserving and promoting abroad the rich and varied culture of India.”

While extending his greetings to IAPC, the Mayor said, “Congratulations are due to IAPC for doing a good job, to Kamlesh Mehta, its new Board Chairman, new committee members and all the honorees. We will continue to support this media organization.”

Eric Kumar, a major supporter to IAPC introduced Mayor Bill DeBlasio. In his address, he described how closely Mayor Bill DeBlasio worked with the Indian American communities and made a law to support Ethnic Media.

Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India, who was the chief guest presented the award to the other awardees with the Lifetime Achievement Award, including Dr. Thomas Abraham, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, and Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President of AAPI.

The awards ceremony was part of the Induction Ceremony of IAPC’s new office bearers, including Chairman Kamlesh C Mehta and Secretary Ajay Ghosh of IAPC Board of Directors, and members of the IAPC National Executive Committee led by President Aashmeeta Yogiraj and General Secretary CG Daniel.

In her acceptance Speech, Ms. Kwatra said, “I am truly honored to be chosen by the Indo-American Press Club for the Life Time Achievement Award. Your presence and this special occasion, receiving this honor makes its truly a memorable moment and I want to thank Kamlesh ji and the entire IAPC office bearers for bestowing this honor on me today, and wishing you, all the very best.”

While urging the media to a more active role, Ms. Kwatra said, “While the political and racial differences divide us, the role of the media is all the more important in keeping us all aware of and educating us about the need for a just and equitable world.”

While commenting on one of the hot button issues that is deeply diving the nation, Ms. Kawatra said, “We are concerned about the media reports about the Supreme Court draft to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, based on the Constitution that protects a pregnant woman’s right to choose abortion without excessive government restriction. We are worried about women being denied the right to her own health needs.”

She called upon Media to play a very critical role, “especially in these challenging timers, as the world is faced with the once in a century health crisis with the ongoing pandemic. Organization such as the IAPC can play a major role in helping heal and unite the nation. Wishing you all the very best. Congratulations to all honorees today and best wishes to the new leadership of IAPC.”

Pam Kwatra has a proud record of civic-social and professional accomplishments and recognition. She was the first woman to launch an Indian American advertising, marketing and PR company, Kripari Marketing in 1992. Pam always keeps the interest of the community and society above personal interest. She has supported numerous community projects for decades and has personally supported many Indian victims of domestic violence in the US. A member of and leader of several Indian American organizations, active in politics and grass root organizations, Ms. Kwatra is a graduate of Delhi University.

Under “South Asians 4 Better New York” (SA4BNY) founded by her, she has held fundraisers for Gov. Cuomo, Public Advocate “Tish” James, Congresswoman Grace Meng, District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, John Liu, and NYC Council candidate Ali Najmi. Her involvement with the community also spans across culture, art & literature – preserving and promoting the rich and varied culture of India, abroad.

Ms. Kwatra has served on NYC boards like Mayor’s Fund, City Center of Music & Drama Inc., New York City Ballet, David H Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. She was also nominated to the NYC Democratic National Committee 2016 Convention. Pam has launched several successful cultural programs and dance dramas at the United Nations. She also organized two book reading events at the UN – Kiran Bedi’s biography and Kathleen Kennedy’s “Failing America’s Faithful”.

She is the recipient of “Mother Teresa Award” in 2011 in India. Special Recognition at the event was given to: Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India in New York for his vision, dedication and community service; Mayor Bill De Blasio, Former Mayor Of New York City, for Excellence in Public Service and Leadership; Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Member of Parliament, India, for his distinguished services in Education and Public Services; and Kevin Thomas, New York State Senator For excellence in Community Service and leadership.

The induction ceremony was attended by elite members and community leaders, including, Padma Shri Dr. Nori, Kenny Desai of FIA, Girish Patel of BAPS, Girish Shah of Jain Samaj, Babu Stephen, former Chairman of IAPC, Shashi Malik of Long Island Association. Harish Thakkar of the American Indian Association, Ravi Bhooplapur of Xavier University, Dr. Neeta Jain, Nilima Madan, Darshan Singh Bagga, Arvind Vora of Shanti Fund, and Vipul Dev, the Consular at CGI.

Sudha Acharya Honored By New York’s Queens Borough President At AAPI Heritage Month Celebration

June 8, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

Sudha Acharya, Executive Director of South Asian Council for Social Service was honored by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards at the office’s first ever in-person AAPI Heritage Month celebration on May 19th. The celebrations held at Queens Borough Hall was attended by several and community members, who enjoyed diverse performances and remarks from local leaders.

Sudha was honored for her leadership and positive impact on the AAPI community as part of her work with SACSS, along with fellow AAPI leaders: the Coalition of Asian-American IPA, Nurse Potri Ranka Manis, and Peter Yoon, President of the Korean American Association of Greater New York.

Sudha Acharya has been active in the community for forty years. Twenty-one years ago, she co-founded SACSS and led the organization’s growth from a one-room organization with two staff to a thriving community center with more than 20 staff.

Acharya’s work has been recognized with many awards, including the Union Square Award, the India Abroad Gopal Raju Award for Community Service, and the Change Maker Award from Domestic Harmony Foundation. She has a Master’s Degree in English Literature and Financial Management.

“Her 35 years of active work in the community tells a story of grueling work towards betterment of the South Asian immigrant population and ensuring their basic needs to food and information don’t go unrepresented,” wrote SEEMA, a magazine that profiled her work recently.

Acharya has served in the city and state level health coalitions, and held many leadership positions. These include being president of the Federation of Indian Associations of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut (FIA), and chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA).

SACSS responds to the needs of South Asians and all immigrants, many of whom do not speak English, are unaware of services available to them, and experience isolation after arriving in the US. Acharya represents the interests of these immigrants and advocates at the City and State level for them.

SACSS currently focuses on healthcare access and literacy, senior support, civic engagement, and food security, offering services in 18 languages. In 2016, SACSS started the first food pantry to serve culturally appropriate food. Under Acharya’s leadership, SACSS was one of the most influential organizations that kept thousands of people fed and connected to critical services during the pandemic.

Acharya represents the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) at the United Nations, where AIWC has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. Acharya works at the international policy level on issues affecting women’s physical, economic, and social well-being. The staff at SACSS speak 18 languages, 12 of those being South Asian. “If one family comes out satisfied, they spread the word. And that’s how we grow. This year, we have
already assisted 30,000 families,” Archaya told the media.

First Indian-American Heritage Bishop In U.S. Installed

June 8, 2022June 8, 2022 Bill Miller At The TabletProfile, Religion 0

The Diocese of Columbus welcomed its new shepherd Tuesday, May 31 with the ordination and installation of Bishop Earl Fernandes — a U.S.-born son of immigrant parents from India. The ordination and installation rites were held at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westerville, about 15 miles northeast of Columbus, the state capital.

As the diocese’s 13th bishop, he succeeds Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, who returned to Ohio to conduct the consecration with Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. At 49, he is the first of Indian-American heritage.

Bishop Robert Brennan lays hands on the head of his successor in the Diocese of Columbus, Bishop Earl Fernandes. Participating in the May 31 ordination and installation were Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S. (left) and Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. (Photo: Courtesy of The Catholic Times/Ken Snow)

Throughout these ceremonies, Bishop Fernandes beamed his trademark smile, but he took a serious tone as he addressed the congregation, stressing the urgency to bring more men into the priesthood.

“I promise to work hard for you, to spill my blood for you,” he pledged. “But I bring to your attention that this year, in the Diocese of Columbus, there will be more bishops than priests ordained.

“We need a new Pentecost to set the world on fire,” he said. “We need missionaries and priests willing to make a gift to themselves in the service of the Gospel. I ask every man, woman, and child to pray for vocations to the priesthood, especially for our diocese.”

Family, friends, priests, religious men and women, and prelates from around the U.S. filled the church to celebrate the new bishop.

Three former bishops of the diocese attended: Bishop Brennan, and Bishops Emeritus James Griffin and Frederick Campbell.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, read the special letter from Pope Francis, informing everyone that the new bishop is eminently qualified and thus chosen by him, the Holy Father, to lead the Diocese of Columbus.

Bishop Fernandes followed Church tradition by proudly holding the apostolic letter aloft and parading it around the congregation for all to see. Thunderous applause ensued.

Bishop Fernandes was born Sept. 21, 1972, in Toledo, Ohio — the fourth of five sons of Sydney and Thelma Fernandes.

His late father was a physician, and Fernandes also entered medical school. But after two years, he chose the seminary and was ordained a priest in 2002.

Bishop Fernandes worked in numerous pastoral ministries, but he later became secretary of the Apostolic Nuncio staff from 2016 to 2019.

Immediately after his installation, his old boss, Archbishop Pierre, reached over and adjusted the new bishop’s distinctive headgear.

“I’m grateful for his paternal affection shown to me over the course of many years,” Bishop Fernandes said of Archbishop Pierre. “I am also grateful that he fixed my miter!”

On Monday evening, Bishop Brennan led the solemn vespers prayer service for his soon-to-be successor. “I want to thank Bishop Brennan and welcome him back to Ohio,” Bishop Fernandes said Tuesday. “I have big shoes to fill. He was here only briefly, but he lifted the morale of both the people and the clergy, and we are happy to have him back, if only for a few days.”

Pope Francis announced on April 2 that Bishop Fernandes would be the successor. At the time, Bishop Brennan called the announcement “great news indeed.”

“I couldn’t be happier for him and the Church in Columbus,” he said. On Tuesday, Bishop Brennan stated on social media that he was thankful to God to be back in Ohio for his successor’s installation.

“Knowing the faithful of this diocese, I am confident he will be a wonderful shepherd for God’s people in Columbus,” Bishop Brennan said. “With great joy and prayers, I congratulate Bishop Fernandes as he begins his episcopal ministry.”

Frail health prevented Bishop Fernandes’ mother from attending the ceremonies. He recalled breaking the news to her that Pope Francis chose him to be a bishop.

“She said, ‘That is good news. This will be a blessing. It will be a blessing for our family. It will be a blessing for everyone,’” Bishop Fernandes shared. “Let us hope and pray that she was being prophetic.”

The Diocese of Columbus covers 23 counties in central and southern Ohio — about 11,310 square miles, with a Catholic population of about 207,000.

More than 2.8 million total people live there, a statistic underlining the new bishop’s call for more priests. Meanwhile, Bishop Fernandes addressed his already-ordained clergymen.

“I am so happy to be your shepherd and your brother, and I look forward to listening to you and to working with you in the Lord’s vineyard,” he said. “I want to work for you, though, so that you may exercise your ministry with joy. “I promise, I will be close to you.”

The Youngest Legend Of Them All—KK—Is No More

June 8, 2022 Staff ReporterEntertainment, Profile 0

Someone rightly put it after his sudden and shocking demise, “KK (1968-forever)”. He was certainly the best playback singer after Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan and Abhijeet (who all came in the 1980s). Krishnakumar Kunnath, or KK as he was known to the world, passed away minutes after a Kolkata concert on May 31.

He is survived by his childhood sweetheart wife, Jyothy Krishna, whom he wed in 1991, and son Nakul and daughter Taamara. As per an old friend who also went into music, composer Julius Packiam, music was not his only love. Jyothy, whom he knew since Standard VIII (8), was “his other obsession – they dated through school and college and eventually married. KK split all his time between music and Jyothy.”

KK was performing at Kolkata’s Nazrul Mancha for Shri Gurudas Mahavidhyalaya’s college-fest Utkarsh 2022. The singer was obviously uncomfortable during the later part of the show, complaining of perspiration and showing obvious discomfort. He then went to his hotel room but complained of uneasiness in his chest.

He was rushed to hospital but declared dead on arrival. As per protocol and also because of the presence of some cut marks on his head and neck, an autopsy was ordered. Initial reports suggest death due to cardiac arrest. The singer was even accorded a gun salute in Kolkata before his mortal remains were flown to Mumbai. The funeral will be held June 2 in Mumbai.

Born August 23 in Delhi, KK has sung over 700 songs in Hindi films and private albums and in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati in a career of over 28 years. He also sang over 3500 jingles in 11 languages. He was probably the last of the brigade that believed that singers should be heard and not seen. Because of this, he was very dedicated and competent and could be trusted with high and intricate notes despite never getting any formal training in music. A Malayali, he also made sure that his Hindi and Urdu diction was perfect and worked hard on his songs.

Originally only into Western music, KK was converted to the idea of also singing in Hindi by Sumitra Mohanty Chakrabarti, a physics faculty member who founded the Kirori Mal College’s music society – MUSOC. The Delhi college was KK’s Alma Mater.

The multiple breaks

KK considered Lesle Lewis as his mentor because of his first break—a jingle. In films, KK originally recorded two songs for A.R. Rahman’s Kadhal Desam (Kalluri saaley and Hello Doctor). Alongside, he was introduced in Mumbai by Vishal Bhardwaj (KK had shifted to Mumbai in 1994) in the hit song Chhod aaye hum woh galiyaan (with three other singers) in Maachis. Both these films hit the screen in 1996.

And while his first jingle won him multiple assignments in that field, his career largely took off in 1999, with his first album, Pal, on Sony Music, which had cult songs like Pal and Yaari dosti and the evergreen Tadap tadap ke iss dil (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) which KK believes was the take-off song of his film career. Besides singing in another album, Humsafar, many years later (including a duet with son Nakul) he also sang the title tracks for many TV shows and serials and the song Tanha chala for the Pakistani TV show The Ghost.

A huge favorite with the youth, KK specialized in concerts as well, paradoxical for someone who believed in the “singers should be heard only” dictum. He was magic on them.

After this, KK sang innumerable hits for Pritam as also Himesh Reshammiya, Ismail Darbar, Vishal-Shekhar, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Anu Malik, Rajesh Roshan and many others. A.R. Rahman and Vishal Bhardwaj and leading South Indian composers also employed his voice. His oldest singing associates were Asha Bhosle (four duets), Amit Kumar, Hariharan and Suresh Wadkar. His most senior composers remain Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and Ilaiyaraja.

Filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt and Anurag Basu especially harnessed his voice. He also sang for all the top names from Salman Khan to Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan, Emraan Hashmi, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and more.

Tributes to the youngest legend among the male singers poured in from all quarters, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Most of his composers (Pritam, Anu Malik, Lalit Pandit, A.R. Rahman, Jeet Gannguli, Salim Merchant, Shankar Mahadevan, Shantanu Moitra, Vishal-Shekhar, Vishal Bhardwaj) and stars (Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Ranveer Singh, Suriya Sivakumar, Allu Arjun, Kajal Aggarwal, Sonal Chauhan) showered their respects for KK.

Friends like actress Mini Mathur (in whose director-husband Kabir Khan’s films KK always had a minimum one song) lyricists and singers (Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Armaan Malik, Shreya Ghoshal, Neeti Mohan, Shilpa Rao, Daler Mehndi, Mohit Chauhan) paid rich tributes to him in print and on social media.

KK recorded his last song a few days ago for Shantanu Moitra for Srijit Mukherji’s film Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga. His last released song was Yeh hausle in Pritam’s 83 (2021). His only other song to come is also under Pritam in the Salman Khan –Katrina Kaif film, Tiger 3.

A man whose heart was as golden as his voice, KK will be remembered for some of the greatest gems heard in film music in the last 20 years.

The KK Hindi Top 20 (a subjective list, for everyone had personal favorites among his melodies):

Yaaron dosti / Album: Pal Music: Lesle Lewis
Hum rahe ya na rahenge / Album: Pal / Lesle Lewis
Tadap tadap / Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (with Dominique) / Ismail Darbar
Dil ibaadat kar raha hai / Tum Mile / Pritam
Khuda jaane / Bachna Ae Haseeno (with Shilpa Rao) / Vishal-Shekhar
Tu jo mila / Bajrangi Bhaijaan / Pritam
Zara si dil mein / Jannat / Pritam
Zindagi do pal ki / Kites / Rajesh Roshan
Dil kyoon yeh mera / Kites / Rajesh Roshan
Sarzameen / Zameen (with Shaan) / Himesh Reshammiya
Ankhon mein teri / Om Shanti Om / Vishal-Shekhar
Maine dil se kahaa / Rog / M.M. Kreem
Sach keh raha hai deewana / Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein / Harrys Jairaj
Tu hi meri shab hai / Gangster / Pritam
Alvida / Life In A…Metro / Pritam
Jab bhi koi haseena / Hera Pheri / Anu Malik
Awarapan banjarapan / Jism / M.M. Kreem
Tu bhoola jisse / Airlift (with Amaal Mallik) / Amaal Mallik
Ae bekhabar / Zeher / Roopkumar Rathod
Kabhi khushboo / Saaya / Anu Malik

Emmy-Nominated Filmmaker Tirlok Malik Makes Happy Life Yoga Presentation To Over 200 CEOs At Asia Society In New York

June 8, 2022 Staff ReporterLifestyle, Profile 0

Tirlok Malik, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Happy life Yoga speaker, was a guest speaker at the event finale for ‘New Majority 2022: The Opportunity for Building Allyship’ organized by the Asian American Business Development Center, Inc., at the Asia Society and Museum. AABDC is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization established in 1994 by Mr. John Wang, the founder and the president.

It assists Asian American businesses in strengthening their capacity to compete in the mainstream market, to expand business opportunities, and to promote recognition of Asian American businesses’ contributions to the general economy. AABDC is associated with the United Nation Department of Global Communications and actively supports the 17 sustainable development goals.

The event featured guest speakers from various fields such as civil rights, business, community, and nonprofit leaders to gather, speak, learn from and brainstorm with each other. The event unpinned the all important thought that when we engage in difficult conversations about unlearning prejudice acquired in our respective communities, when we work together and support each other, and when we speak with one voice, it is incredibly powerful.

It was a very informative and constructive summit discussing the opportunity for Building Allyship in Asian and American communities. The event had opening keynote remarks by Ramon Laguarts (Chairman and CEO, Pepsico). Some of the other speakers at the event included Dr. Randal Pinkett (CEO, BCT Partners), Anne Chow (CEO, AT&T), S.David Wu (Ph.D) (President, Baruch College, The City University of New York), Michael Garner (Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, MTA), Frankie Miranda (CEO, Hispanic Federation), Ying McGuire (CEO, National Minority Supplier Development Council), Sandeep Gupta (Board member, Ascend Canada, Partner Deloitte & Touche LLP), and Marcela Miguel Berland (CEO, Latin Insights), among others. Dr. Pinkett was also the MC for the event.

Tirlok Malik made an engaging Happy Life Yoga presentation at the end of the event with more than 200 CEOs participating in laughing and positive happy affirmation for self along with Malik. Tirlok Malik explains, “You have to start with affirming to yourself: ‘I Love Myself,’ because if you love yourself, you take care of yourself. And then we are able to bring happiness to others.” Malik further says that Happy Life Yoga (yoga of life) is a gift from the spiritual land of India, which he wants to share with the world. Malik was honored with the Outstanding Asian American in Business award by the Asian American Business Development Center in the year 2005.

Malik into his 50s (he refuses to reveal his age) has made a handful of films around India. His most recent release is a short film titled To New India with Love, streaming on YouTube. The movie about youth aspirations explores how ambitions, and as a result relationships, are changing order in modern India. The film has gathered critical acclaim with political leaders such as Kiran Bedi talking about the message it showcases.

The filmmaker, who has lived in New York since he turned 24, doesn’t mince words when he speaks about the confused Indian. “The first generation wants to send their children to America but when it comes to marriage they want their children to go the traditional way. As ironical as it may sound, this is the mindset of most Indians,” he says. It is this complex cultural tiff that Malik explores in his films.

Infosys Raises CEO Salil Parekh’s Salary By 88% To Rs 79.75 Crore Per Annum

June 2, 2022 Staff ReporterBusiness, Profile 0

Infosys CEO Salil Parekh’s salary has been increased to Rs 79.75 crore per annum, which is 88 per cent higher from his previous salary of Rs 42.50 crore, said the company’s annual report for fiscal 2022.

This makes him one of the highest paid executives in India. The company provided the sharp hike citing industry-leading growth in the recent years.

It said that any comparison of CEO’s salary should be seen in the context of the company’s performance and stock price growth. The firm said it considered key factors such as total shareholder return, rise in market cap and growth while recommending his reappointment and change in remuneration.

As per the company’s annual report released on Thursday, the new employment agreement, which is subject to shareholder approval, will come into effect on July 2.

For fiscal FY22 that ended in March, Parekh took home a salary of Rs 71 crore, as per reports. However, of the total Rs 52 crore came from exercising restricted stock units granted to him before.

The latest round of hike comes days after the company reappointed him as MD and CEO for five more years starting from July 1.

“Under his leadership the total shareholder return (TSR) was an impressive 314 per cent, the highest among peers. Revenue has grown from Rs 70,522 crore (fiscal 2018) to Rs 1,21,641 crore (fiscal 2022), a compound annual growth rate of 15 per cent (versus nine per cent for the four years before that) and the profits have also increased from Rs 16,029 to Rs 22,110 crore,” the company said.

Further, the company said it has more than doubled the share of digital revenue from 25.5 per cent FY18 to 57.0 per cent FY22. (IANS)

Parag Mehta, MD Elected President of the Medical Society of the State of New York

June 2, 2022 Staff ReporterHealth, Profile 0

Internist Parag Mehta, MD, was elected as 196th President of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) on May 21, 2022. Dr. Mehta is the Senior Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine and the Chief Medical Information Officer, Interim Chief Medical Officer at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital (NYPBMH). In addition, he is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

A graduate of NHL Medical College in Ahmedabad, India, Dr. Mehta did his residency in Internal Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Care, and Integrative and Holistic Medicine. He has taken courses in Health Information Technology from Cornell University and Artificial Intelligence from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Dr. Mehta has served as Governor of the New York American College of Physicians and President of the Medical Society of County of Kings. He received numerous awards for his extraordinary contributions to advocacy, education, quality, research, and policy. He has been included in Castle Connelly’s Top Doctors list for many years and has been recognized as a power player in Healthcare by amNew York/PoliticsNY in 2021. He is an astute clinician, an excellent educator, and an inspirational leader. As a Wellness Champion, he promotes the importance of mindfulness, gratitude, and forgiveness. As CMIO, he is cognizant of the burden of EMR and continuously works on improving usability and clinical decision support.

He will succeed Dr. Joe Sellers, and as the 196th President of MSSNY, he strives to work with principles addressing harmony, wellness, equity, and enabling members with knowledge. He plans to achieve that goal by creating appropriate programs, products, and services.

Dr. Art Fougner, Chair of the Board of Trustees and past president of MSSNY, quotes Henry Kissinger – “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. I have come to know that Dr. Parag Mehta is that leader.”

Dr. Mehta lives in Nassau County with his wife, Isha Mehta, MD, Chief of Gynecology at Elmhurst Hospital, and founder of “A Stitch in Time,” an organization that treats gynecological conditions at no cost to women around the world. They have two daughters, Ruju, an engineer, and Setu, a recent graduate of Harvard College who plans to study medicine.

Founded in 1807, the Medical Society of the State of New York is the state’s principal non-profit professional organization for physicians, residents, and medical students of all specialties. Its mission is to represent the interests of patients and physicians to assure quality healthcare services for all.

Dr. Jagdish K. Gupta, President of Medical Society of County of Kings, NY Leads Year-Long Bicentennial Celebrations

May 31, 2022 Ajay GhoshHealth, Profile 0

“I am very humbled, truly privileged, and extremely honored to welcome you all to our 201st Bicentennial Stated Meeting by the Medical Society of The County of Kings and the Academy of Medicine of Brooklyn,” said Dr. Jagdish K. Gupta, a committed and highly regarded physician with a history of professional achievement and humanitarian philanthropy, who was inducted as the 174th President of the Medical Society of County of Kings (MSCK) on May 25th, 2022.

Dr. Gupta was addressing the delegates at the 201st Annual Stated Meeting of MSCK as a Bicentennial Event in person, after two years hiatus due to COVID Pandemic at El Caribe Country Club in Brooklyn, NY with full regalia. “The COVID-19 pandemic upended the rhythms of our personal and professional lives. Traditional workings of our medical society came to a screeching halt,” Dr. Gupta pointed out. “However, as an organization, we persevered, reimagined our operations, and implemented new strategies. Overall, the organization was renewed and brought into the 21st century.”

Dr. Gupta expressed gratitude to “Dr. Valluru, Dr. Prasad Gudavalli & Dr. Larry Melniker, and everyone in our leadership team for all their hard work during possibly the most challenging time in our organization’s history.”

Dr. Gupta on behalf of the Team 2022-2023, promised “to continue this progressive transformation. The central focus during my presidency will be to bring harmony to our efforts, empower ourselves to increase membership, enhance membership benefits, create programs for wellness, end disparities inpatient care, and bring equity in healthcare to all, irrespective of caste creed or financial status.”

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra, Professor of Medicine and the past Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School for 12 years, serving as a Marshall Wolf Distinguished Clinician Educator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the author of more than 170 publications and ten books to his credit, was the keynote speaker at the gala. In his address, he pointed out to “The Two Most Important Days: Reflections on Lasting Happiness and Living with Purpose.” He received a full-throttled standing ovation from the audience. Dr. Chopra is Editor-in-Chief of the Hepatology Section of “UpToDate”, the most widely used electronic textbook in the world subscribed to by more than 1.5 million physicians in 195 countries.

He is a sought-after inspirational speaker across the United States and abroad, addressing diverse audiences on topics related to medicine, leadership, happiness, and living with purpose.

Recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of the Medical Society of the County of Kings, the New York State Assembly commemorated the Bicentennial Stated Meeting of the Medical Society of the County of Kings on May 25, 2022 with a Proclamation sponsored by Assembly Woman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Co-sponsored By Assemblyman Michael Tannousis.

Among the several distinguished guests who joined in and addressed the celebrations were Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez who spoke passionately about the need for Gun Control and on ways to prevent the violence in the City. Messages and proclamations were sent in by New York City Council Woman Ms. Mercedes Narcisse 46th Council District; Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis from 11th District; President of SUNY Downstate Medical School, Dr. Wayne Riley who spoke about the contribution of Medical Society of County of Kings and Long Island College over 200 years; State Assemblyman Michael Tannousis; Dr. Ravi Kolli, President Elect, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin- the largest ethnic physician organization in America; and, Multiple Citations for 50 years Medical School Graduates serving the Brooklyn Community.

The annual event also highlighted and honored the achievements and outstanding contributions of an impressive and inspirational set of honorees representing 50 years of continuous, diligent, and impartial services to the Brooklyn community. “These 12 esteemed honorees have distinguished themselves in the fields of community service, patient advocacy, medical innovation, and clinical practice. These honored physicians have saved countless lives and brought relief to thousands of patients over the last 50 years.

Their influence extends far beyond those in their direct care. They have served as role models for numerous students, residents, and fellows for over five decades,” Dr. Gupta pointed out. Reflecting on the last 200 years of the most prestigious professional organization, Dr. Gupta said, “I am amazed at the caliber, intelligence, and forward-thinking ideas of all my great predecessors. They left indelible marks with their achievements and accomplishments in the fields of research, education, innovation in medical and surgical technology, and patient care. I am humbled to follow in their footsteps and am grateful to each of them.”

The Medical Society of the County of Kings (MSCK), the oldest scientific organization in Brooklyn, New York was established on March 2nd, 1822 by a group of doctors gathered at Auld Lang Syne Tavern on Fulton Street in Brooklyn Heights, with the lofty mission “to foster progress in the science and art of medicine and to promote, preserve and enforce the highest of standards of ethical and proficient medical care”. In 1900, the Society opened its grand new colonial revival building at 1313 Bedford Avenue, the geographical center of Brooklyn and It was headquartered there until 1996.

The Society had hosted numerous Scientific Conferences at the McNaughton Auditorium where local, national, and international luminaries in medicine presented important and often original scientific works. The Medical Society grew exponentially to more than 3,500 members by the mid-20th century and according to the Directing Librarian for the Society, for some time boasted as the 5th largest medical library in the country.

The concept of Continuing Medical Education (CME) was developed in Brooklyn in 1922 and the Society published the Brooklyn Medical Journal from 1888 until it was succeeded by the Long Island Medical Journal in 1907. The Medical Society continues to serve the people of Brooklyn through the thousands of practicing physicians in the borough. MSCK through its various committees and in collaboration with other specialty organizations have been supporting Brooklynites for their healthcare needs uninterrupted — through political, economic, and various health crises — over the past 200 years.

MSCK represents the most populous County in the New York State and as such has the largest delegation to the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY). It continues to provide leadership to organized medicine. Following the footsteps of its great predecessors, more than 11 Kings County leaders, who became President of the MSSNY, a matter of great pride for all members of the Society, its past president and current member, Dr. Parag Mehta, has become the first Asian American President of MSSNY on May 21st. 2022.

Born and raised in Hissar, Haryana, India, Dr. Gupta graduated from All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi in 1972 with distinction, and after coming to the United States, had his residency and fellowship at Long Island College Hospital (LICH). A diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Gastroenterology, Dr. Gupta is an Assistant Clinical Professor at SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn, and has served as a role model and a mentor for a generation of young physicians who aspire to combine his clinical excellence with sensitivity and compassion towards patients and their families.

Dr. Gupta has been serving the Brooklyn Community for the last 45 years. He has been actively involved in Organized Medical Societies leadership at the Kings County and New York state Medical Society level for a long time. Through innovative research exploring the links between gastrointestinal and neurological diseases, Dr. Gupta has made his mark upon medical literature. In addition to his many contributions to peer review journals, he has co-authored chapters in many medical textbooks. As a researcher dedicated to the detection, prevention and treatment of GI disorders including cancer, he has been recognized and awarded numerous teaching awards. He has been on the TOP DOCTORS list of Castle Connolly for more than twenty years, consecutively and also has been designated as SUPER DOC by New York Times magazine for three years.

Dr. Gupta has served as President of the Medical staff of LICH and as a member of its Board of Regents. For his commitment to teaching, professional achievements, community services and leadership, the Long Island College Hospital bestowed the Spring Ball Honoree 2002 Physician of the Year Award upon him. He is currently serving as the Chairman, Board of Trustees of AAPI-QLI, and is very active in National AAPI and AAPI Charitable Foundation and serves on the Board of Trustees and is the Treasurer.

In his desire to serve the Indian American community Dr. Gupta has been a member of the Board of Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation and has been privileged to serve as its President, fundraising large amounts during his tenure to sponsor many charitable projects in India. He was recognized for his contributions with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He has been very actively involved with many community organizations in Long Island. He has served as President of India Association of Long Island (IALI) in 2010. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Hindu Center. He has been recognized several times for his outstanding services to the community. Most recently he was appointed an Honorary Police Surgeon for his patriotic dedication to the New York’s finest. Above all, Dr. Gupta is a loving husband to his wife Meena and father of three children, Drs. Anu, Srishti and Vishal and grandfather to Sia, Kabir, Som and Sai.

IAPC Organizes Induction Of The New BOD And National EC And Awards Ceremony At Indian Consulate In New York

May 28, 2022June 8, 2022 Ajay GhoshCommunity, Media, Profile 0

The Indo-American Press Club, the largest organization of Indian descent journalists and media persons working across North America, organized the swearing-in ceremony and inauguration of new office bearers on Saturday, May 21^st during a solemn induction ceremony, organized at the Indian Consulate in New York.

Kamlesh C. Mehta was administered the oath of office as the Chairman of the IAPC Board of Directors by Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India in New York, while Ginson Zachariah, Founding Chairman of IAPC administered the oath to IAPC’s new President Aashmeeta Yogiraj, while IAPC General Secretary CG Daniel and several others were given the oath virtually.

Four distinguished and accomplished community leaders/professionals were honored with the Lifetime Achievement Awards for their accomplishments and contributions to the larger society.

Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General, was the chief guest, while New York Mayor De Blasio was the Special Guest of Honor during the ceremony. Mayor De Blasio presented award to Pamela Kwatra, a trailblazer and the only Indian American woman recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor award in 2008, Pam Kwatra. She has a proud record of civic-social and professional accomplishments and recognition.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, the only 4^th Woman elected to be the President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in its nearly four decades-long history was honored fgor her visionary leadership of AAPI benefitting AAPI members and the larger societies in India and the United States.

Dr. Thomas Abraham, who has been honored with the Bharatvanshi Gaurav Award of Anthar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for his services to the NRI/PIO communities for the last 49 years since he moved to New York as a graduate student at Columbia University, was another awardee whom IAPC honored today.

The other honoree whom IAPC recognized today was Sudhir M. Parikh, M.D., a physician by profession and currently the Chairman and Publisher of Parikh Worldwide Media Inc., the largest Indian-American publishing group in the United States, and Chairman of ITV Gold, a 24×7 TV news channel, and is one of the most honored Indian Americans with Padma Shri and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Special Recognition at the event was given to: Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India in New York for his vision, dedication and community service; Mayor Bill De Blasio, Former Mayor Of New York City, for Excellence in Public Service and Leadership; Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Member of Parliament, India, for his distinguished services in Education and Public Services; and Kevin Thomas, New York State Senator For excellence in Community Service and leadership.

In his address, while highlighting the many recent initiatives of the Government of India to lead India to prosperity and strength, Ambassador Jaiswal praised IAPC for its “significant contribution to promoting India-US friendship and the welfare of Indian diaspora in the United States. It has brought together people from the diaspora media fraternity under a cohesive umbrella so that the voice of the community could be heard in a meaningful manner.

We look forward to their continued support to bring developments from India to the readers in the US and carry all the excitement from the United States to the people of India. I invite Indo American Press Club to join hands with us in celebrating India@75, our Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. I wish the Club steady growth, progress and success,” he said.

Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, while congratulating Pam Kwatra on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, described her as a trailblazing businesswoman, a community leader, and a political force with executive chops. No wonder she worked with elan on important projects in my administration on my request.

I also came to know that her involvement with the community spans across culture, art & literature – preserving and promoting abroad the rich and varied culture of India.” While extending his greetings to IAPC, the Mayor said, “Congratulations are due to IAPC for doing a good job, to Kamlesh Mehta, its new Board Chairman, new committee members and all the honorees. We will continue to support this media organization.”

In his acceptance speech, Kamlesh Mehta said, “These are unprecedented times for journalists and the media, when many have sacrificed their lives in the pandemic. At IAPC, we salute these brave men and women who risk their lives to bring to the world accurate reporting and being an effective voice of the media world.

IAPC envisages its vision through collective efforts and advocacy activities through its nearly one thousand members across the US and Canada, by being a link between the media fraternity and the world at large. We will work together with dedication to enhance the working conditions of our journalists, exchanging ideas and offering educational and training opportunities to our members, aspiring young journalists and media professionals around the globe.”

In her presidential address, Aashmeeta Yogiraj, Director – Programming & Marketing, JUS Broadcasting Corporation said, “I t is said that the media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Never was that statement truer than in the times we live in now. While media as an entity has certainly evolved to fit modern times, its invaluable service to society persists. As a member of the media, it is my honor to serve as President of the Indo-American Press Club. I look forward to furthering the principles of democracy alongside the rest of the IAPC leadership and team.” By becoming a member IAPC , she said, You gain “access to a unique professional network, exclusive events with high-profile global influencers, cutting-edge Newswire services and an opportunity to network with others in the media industry.”

Ginsmon Zachariah, Founding Chair of IAPC BOD said, “Our homeland India is known to have a vibrant, active and free media, which plays a very vital role in the functioning and growth of the largest democracy in the world. And we recognize that as members of the media we have an important role to play in our adopted land. We are aware of our call to be a source of effective communication around the world. We as members of the media realize that we have a role to play in shaping our world to be a just and equitable place where everyone enjoys freedom and liberty.”

Providing the background to the formation of IAPC, Akay Ghosh, Founding President of IAPC said, “We as individuals and corporations that represent the media world, consisting of print, visual, electronic and online, realize that we have a greater role to play. We have been working in this field for decades and often stand alone in a large media world. As individual members of the media, our voice is often drowned in the very large world of multi-media. We lack a collective voice to raise our voice, to pool our talents together and work as a cohesive group to reflect and respond to the challenges of the modern world. IAPC was (IAPC), formed to fill this vacuum, and is committed to strive to be a common platform to raise the voice and explore the possibilities of helping shape the world to be a world that is fair, just and equitable for today and future generations.”

Eric Kumar, a major supporter to IAPC introduced Mayor Bill DeBlasio. In his address, he mentioned how closely Mayor Bill DeBlasio worked with the Indian American communities and made a law to support Ethnic Media. Famous Punjabi Singer Malkit Singh could not attend the event for delays in flight, he sent his gratitude for honoring him and best complements to IAPC for continued success.

Parveen Chopra, past president of IAPC welcomed the audience. A souvenir with colorfully designed pages, depicting the history and objectives of IAPV, edited by Parveen Chopra and Dr. Mathew Joys was released.

A visual presentation of the Nine Years of IAPC history beautifully presented by Dr. Mathew Joys, IAPC BOD member from Las Vegas and Shan Justus from Texas provided a glimpse of the trajectory of IAPC’s growth since its inception in 2013. The closing ceremony included scintillating dances traditional folk dances and fast moving Bollywood dances by The Arya School of Dance and was followed by a sumptuous dinner. The hybrid event was also streamed simultaneously on social media platforms and watched live on YouTube by several members and supporters of IAPC.

Dr. Joseph M. Chalil Donates $100,000 In Honor of, Rev. Dr. Mathew M. Chalil to Nova Southeastern University in Support of International Medical Students

May 28, 2022June 8, 2022 Staff ReporterEducation, Profile, Youth 0

Dr. Joseph M. Chalil, a Best-Selling Author and the Chief Medical Officer of Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc., has donated $100,000 towards establishing a Scholarship Fund in honor of his mentor and uncle, Reverend Dr. Mathew Chalil, a Catholic Priest, based in Kerala, India. The scholarship fund donated to the prestigious Nova Southeastern University will help needy and deserving international medical students at the University.

“Congratulations Fr. Mathew Chalil for being inducted into Nova Southeastern University Cornerstone society today,” a statement issued by the University stated. “We have created a scholarship fund of 1 Lakh Dollars (77 Lakhs Indian Rupees). The $100,000 scholarship will be earmarked for international medical students at NSU MD with significant financial needs.”

Rev. Dr. Mathew M. Chalil, CMI, MSc, Ph.D. is a Catholic Priest belonging to the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), who dedicated his life to education and the environment. Rev. Chalil completed his Master’s Degree in Mathematics from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Chennai) and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Perdue University in 1982. He returned to India and was appointed as the Professor of Mathematics at Devagiri College, India, and had served as its Principal until 1994. He was appointed as the CMI General Councilor for Education in 1996 and he oversaw all the CMI Provinces in South India, as well as the CMI Activities and Personals in the USA, Canada, and South America. CMI Congregation owns and manages hundreds of schools, over 30 higher education institutions, and one deemed University in India.

In addition, Rev. Chalil held several additional positions, including as Vice-Chancellor of Dharma Deepti University and as the Registrar of Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram. His research interest was using mathematical formulas in solving environmental pollution issues. He was a World Health Organization consultant and an advisor to the Government of India and the Kingdom of the United Arab Emirates.

Publisher of The Universal News Network (www.theunn.com), Dr. Chalil is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. Board-certified in healthcare management, Dr. Chalil has been awarded a Fellowship by the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare organizations. Dr. Chalil has held roles of increasing responsibility at DBV Technologies, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott Laboratories, and Hoffmann-La Roche.

Additionally, Dr. Chalil is the former Chairman of the Indo-American Press Club. He is an expert in U.S. healthcare policy and a strong advocate for patient-centered care. A strong proponent of providing healthcare access to everyone, Dr. Chalil’s new book, Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Envisioning a Better World by Transforming the Future of Healthcare, is on Amazon’s Best Sellers List.

Describing these as critical times, Dr. Chalil, endowed with the vision to support noble causes, believes that “Medical Education is most needed, especially as the world is continuing to be under the impact of the Covid Pandemic. Health care professionals dedicate their lives to the greater well-being of human beings. Supporting the upcoming generations of Medical students in their mission to help people live healthier lives is very fulfilling.”

Dr. Swati Kulkarni, Consulate General of India in Atlanta, while praising Dr. Chalil’s generosity and contribution to support the needy medical students at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD), said, “Dr. Joseph Chalil, one of the distinguished Indian American, has attained significant goals in his career and has been at the forefront of helping the needy, especially students. India has a large number of bright students pursuing higher studies in the United States.

Dr. Chalil has donated generously to help these International Indian students at Nova Southeastern University in fulfilling their mission to be the healers of the world. I am certain that Dr. Chalil shall also extend similar monetary help to Medical Colleges in India and brighten the future of aspiring students studying there. May the generosity of Dr. Chalil inspire many more successful Indian Americans to come forward and donate towards the education of students who seek knowledge and skills at the universities in India and abroad.”

The CORNERSTONE SOCIETY at Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University was developed to recognize and pay tribute to individuals, foundations, and corporations whose cumulative commitments to NSU MD reach $100,000 by the time the Charter Class graduates. NSU MD is one of approximately 155 M.D. degree-granting institutions in the U.S. The college received Preliminary Accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) on October 10, 2017, to become the eighth M.D.-degree medical school in Florida and the only one in Broward County.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President Of AAPI Presented With The Lifetime Achievement Award By IAPC

May 28, 2022June 8, 2022 Staff ReporterMedia, Profile, Women 0

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President Of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during a solemn awards ceremony jointly organized by The Consulate General of India in New York and The Indo-American Press Club (IAPC), the largest organization of Indian descent journalists operating in North America , at the Indian Consulate, New York, NY on Saturday, May 21^st, 2022.

Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India, who was the chief guest presented the award at the Grand Ballroom of the Consulate in New York, which was attended by several community leaders, elected officials, diplomats, media personnel and professionals.

Other awardees who were honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award included: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, and Pamela Kwatra. The event, which was attended by several dignitaries, including former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Member of Parliament, India; Kevin Thomas, New York State Senator; and several other elected officials.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula is the only 4^th Woman elected to be the President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in its nearly four decades-long history.

A resident of San Antonio, TX, Dr. Gotimukula is a board-certified Pediatric Anesthesiologist, practicing since 2007, and is affiliated with Christus Santa Rosa, Baptist and Methodist Healthcare systems in San Antonio.

In her acceptance Speech, Dr. Gotimukula shared with the audience about the many initiatives AAPI has taken up during the past one year. Under her dynamic and inspiring leadership, “AAPI has grown and reached new heights. The Global Healthcare Summit in Hyderabad, held under challenging Covid situations has been historic in nature. The Blood Donation Drive in 75 Cities across the US commemorating the 75^th anniversary of India’s Independence has been highly praised by all,” she said.

Her goals on “Prevention is better than Cure” are resonating in India through the “Adopt a Village” preventive healthcare screening initiative of non communicable diseases. A report from AAPI was submitted to the Indian Government to establish the “Indian Preventive Health Task Force “ to help frame screening guidelines for all non communicable diseases like Diabetes, Hypertension, cancer screening etc., sje said.

Under her leadership, several new programs have been initiated, benefiting AAPI members and the larger communities in the United States and India. Dr. Gotimukula urged the media to focus on the many positive things that are happening around the world, rather than focus on negativity that destroys human freedom, liberty and unity.

The closing ceremony included scintillating dances traditional folk dances and fast moving Bollywood dances by The Arya School of Dance and was followed by a sumptuous dinner. The hybrid event was also streamed simultaneously on social media platforms.

Dilip Chauhan Appointed Deputy Commissioner In New York Mayor’s Office

May 12, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile 0

New York Mayor Eric Adams office announced the appointment of Dilip Chauhan as the Deputy Commissioner, Trade, Investment, and Innovation for International Affairs, thus, adding a leading South Asian to his team and 1st to the coveted position. Mr. Chauhan’s primary goal is to work to attract and retain businesses and foreign direct investments in the city as it recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanking the Mayor in a statement, Mr. Chauhan said he is honored to have been entrusted with the importance task of establishing strong relationships between New York City, the diplomatic corps, and the international business community. He will work to amplify New York City as a global economic center and a hub for innovation, Mr. Chauhan added.

“Specifically, I will work to attract and retain businesses and foreign direct investments across our five boroughs as we recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in the statement, adding that through the management of relationships with Consulates, the United Nations, Permanent Missions, and Trade Commissions, he will ensure New Yorkers benefit from the City’s innovative economic programs, including the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises.

In addition, he will also focus on strengthening partnerships related to Smart Cities, Sister Cities agreements, crypto-related developments and cross-state international business development, he added in the statement.

Mr. Chauhan comes to the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs from the Brooklyn President’s office, where he served as the Executive Director of Southeast and Asian Affairs. As the Executive Director, he worked towards empowering the South and Asian communities in Brooklyn.

Previously, Mr. Chauhan lead the Minority Affairs office in Nassau County in New York as Deputy Controller, the first South Asian to hold this office. In that role, he worked on setting guidelines, and was able to empower the Community for proper participation of MWBE businesses. He contributed to this effort by arranging different boot camps for small businesses, which created community awareness and participation campaigns, and built lasting strategic partnerships with various community organizations.

November 12, 2016, was declared as “Dilip Chauhan Day” in sixth US Congressional District New York in “honor of his work”.

Nand Mulchandani Named Chief Technology Officer Of CIA

May 12, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Technology 0

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William J. Burns has announced the appointment of Nand Mulchandani to serve as the US spy agency’s first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

With more than 25 years’ experience working in Silicon Valley as well as the Department of Defense (DoD), Mulchandani brings substantial private sector, startup, and government expertise the CIA said in a statement.

As the CTO, Mulchandani will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations and scanning the horizon for tomorrow’s innovations to further CIA’s mission. “Since my confirmation, I have prioritized focusing on technology and the new CTO position is a very important part of that effort. I am delighted Nand has joined our team and will bring his extensive experience to this crucial new role,” said Burns.

Prior to joining CIA, Mulchandani most recently served as the CTO and Acting Director of DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. He also co-founded and was CEO of several successful startups Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMWare), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).

He has a degree in Computer Science and Math from Cornell University, a Master of Science degree in Management from Stanford University and a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard University.

“I am honored to join CIA in this role and look forward to working with the Agency’s incredible team of technologists and domain experts who already deliver world-class intelligence and capabilities to help build a comprehensive technology strategy that delivers exciting capabilities working closely with industry and partners,” said Mulchandani.

Dr. Vishweshwar R. Ranga Elected Chair, AAPI Board of Trustees

May 12, 2022 Ajay GhoshHealth, Profile 0

A practicing Internal Medicine Specialist from Las Vegas affiliated with multiple local area hospitals, Dr. Vishweshwar R. Ranga has been elected Chairman of Board of Trustees of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin for the year 2022-23.

Dr. Ranga with more than 35 years of experience in the medical field, has been associated with AAPI since his early days as a Resident in New York. “Since moving to the United States to pursue my career as a physician I have been closely following the entire spectrum of health care in the world’s largest economy,” recalls Dr. Ranga.

A team player and dedicated to the growth of AAPI, Dr. Ranga says, he wants continue to work with the team and ensure that AAPI’s voice is heard wherever relevant decisions are made that impact the physician community.

“My initiation into the Association of Physicians of Indian Origin to work on the membership drive and its directory during my residency at Mount Vernon Hospital in New York helped me understand more deeply the importance of community involvement and practices dear to this noble profession,” Dr. Ranga says, who has worked hard towards the growth of this organization under the leadership of various presidents.

A medical degree holder from the Medical Academy of Sofia, Bulgaria, Dr. Ranga says, “AAPI is very close to my heart and I want to see it as more of an inclusive outfit, making a clarion call to physicians of Indian origin serving in some of the remote areas of the country to be part of this great organization and be driving forces of change.”

Dr. Ranga, who is known for his organizational skills helped to put together various national and regional AAPI events.

He has worked on several AAPI Committees including: AAPI Bylaws Committee, Membership Committee, Awards Committee, and Publications Committee.

Dr. Ranga has been recognized for his kindness, medical skills and going beyond the call of duty. “I was in good hands with him. I almost died from a car hitting me in a crosswalk. This man visited me every single day for one month. That is something I will never forget. Thank you, Dr. Ranga. Mom misses you,” Mike Cappello, a former patient of Dr. Ranga wrote on Social Media.

A visionary, Dr. Ranga began to work closely and encourage the second-generation Indian American physicians to be an active part of AAPI. In appreciation of his efforts, contributions and enormous support, YPS/MSRF recognized Dr. Ranga by making him the mentor of the group.

“My goal in the coming year is to formalize and create AAPI leadership academy working with executives from American College of Physicians for the development of leadership roles for all AAPI members. I want to work hard to engage young physicians and attract them to AAPI. They are the future of AAPI.” the newly elected Chair of AAPI BOT, says.

Dr. Joseph M. Chalil, Novo Integrated Sciences’ Chief Medical Officer, Selected As Top Physician Of The Year By IAOTP

May 2, 2022April 14, 2025 Staff ReporterProfile 0

Dr. Joseph M. Chalil, MBBS, MBA, FACHE, Chief Medical Officer of Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. (Novo). Global Healthcare Executive and Best-Selling Author, has been selected as Top Physician of the Year for 2022 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for his outstanding leadership, dedication, and innovative medical contributions.

Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVOS) (the “Company” or “Novo”) , pioneering a holistic approach to patient-first health and wellness through a multidisciplinary healthcare ecosystem of multiple patient and consumer touchpoints for services and product innovation, made the announcement last week

While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a few members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, other affiliations, and contributions to their communities. All honorees are invited to attend the IAOTP’s annual awards gala at the end of this year for a night to honor their achievements.

Stephanie Cirami, IAOTP President, stated, “We are honored to have Dr. Chalil as part of our IAOTP family. He is brilliant at what he does, has a unique understanding of health policies, and a diverse medical background. We know he will be an amazing asset to our network of professionals.”

Dr. Chalil has over 20 years of professional experience in health policy, medical affairs, and clinical development with an emphasis on both healthcare delivery and biotechnology. Previously, Dr. Chalil has held roles of increasing responsibility at DBV Technologies, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott Laboratories, and Hoffmann-La Roche. Dr. Chalil was the honored recipient of the AAPI Presidential Award (2015) and the Boehringer President’s Club Award for 2011, 2014, and 2015. Dr. Chalil was also recognized and honored with the 2013 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award.

Dr. Chalil is an author of several scientific and research papers in international publications. He is also the Chairman of the Complex Health Systems Advisory Board, H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and a member of Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine Executive Leadership Council. A veteran of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, he is board certified in healthcare management. He has been awarded a Fellowship by the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare organizations. Additionally, Dr. Chalil is the former Chairman of the Indo-American Press Club. He is an expert in U.S. healthcare policy and a strong advocate for patient-centered care. A strong proponent of providing healthcare access to everyone, Dr. Chalil’s new book, Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Envisioning a Better World by Transforming the Future of Healthcare, is on Amazon’s Best Sellers List.

For more information on Dr. Chalil, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drchalil/

The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization that handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers, and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You must be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.

Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. is pioneering a holistic approach to patient-first health and wellness through a multidisciplinary healthcare ecosystem of multiple patient and consumer touchpoints for services and product innovation. Novo offers an essential and differentiated solution to deliver, or intend to deliver, these services and products through the integration of medical technology, diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, and rehabilitative science.

The Company’s decentralized healthcare business model is centered on three primary pillars to best support the transformation of non-catastrophic healthcare delivery to patients and consumers.

Innovation through science combined with the integration of sophisticated, secure technology assures Novo Integrated Sciences of continued cutting-edge advancement in patient first platforms.

For more information concerning Novo Integrated Sciences, please visit www.novointegrated.com. For more information on Novo Healthnet Limited, Novo’s wholly owned subsidiary, please visit www.novohealthnet.com.

Suresh Prabhu, India’s Eminent Parliamentarian Honored In Chicago

May 2, 2022 Asian Media USACommunity, Profile 0

Indian American Business Council [IABC] hosted a rousing reception in honor of distinguished visiting Member of Parliament & Former Central Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu at a ceremony held in Downer’s grove, Illinois on April 20, 2022. The reception attracted a great host of community’s prominent organizational leaders who paid glowing tributes to Suresh Prabhu for his exemplary services as the former central minister and as a renowned Indian parliamentarian who leaves behind indelible footprints for his sterling reputation as a man of impeccable integrity.

Ajeet Singh, IABC President & principal host – welcoming the gathering of the distinguished guests – heaped a generous measure of praise on Suresh Prabhu for his illustrious record of accomplishment of remarkable distinction and the honor with which he served the government of India spanning decades with spotless integrity coupled with unwavering devotion to the principles of honesty. Dr. Sreenivas Reddy, Chair of the Illinois Medical Board – in his remarks – extolled the yeoman leadership of Suresh Prabhu and described him as a highly admired Indian statesman who played a significant role serving as the Indian Emissary and Sherpa at the G20 & G7 Summit. Dr. Sreenivas Reddy added that he leaves behind enduring footprints with his groundbreaking program initiatives that are directed towards the welfare of the citizens and the betterment of the poor.

Dr. Bharat Barai speaking ‘live’ from a remote location hailed Suresh Prabhu for his exceptional leadership and his vision and thanked him for his extraordinary services to the people of India. Dr. Bharat Barai thanked Suresh Prabhu for presiding over some of the most significant portfolios of Railways, Civil Aviation and Commerce & Industry with absolute distinction.

Dr. Suresh Reddy, Trustee Oakbrook Village introduced Suresh Prabhu as a visionary who presided over as central minister with remarkable honor and lauded him for his distinguished credentials that propelled him to the league of top three Indian leaders in Asia.

Shweta Baid, Alderwoman, City of Aurora, Meghna Bansal, Trustee, Wheatland Township and Judge Kavita Athanikar joined with their gracious remarks extolling the leadership of Suresh Prabhu.

Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu in his comprehensive remarks thanked Indian American Business Council [IABC] for hosting such a warm reception and said he is deeply touched by the lavish outpouring of honor and acclamation. He commended the role of NRI’s in fostering historic Indo-US relations, which he added largely due to your unwavering ambassadorial efforts.

Suresh Prabhu presented a detailed historical overview that shaped India and he delved extensively on education. Suresh Prabhu indicated that he is collaborating with American universities to foster a larger and wider scope of learning in the University he founded. He said India’s role in a 21st-century world is that of immense responsibility and it is our duty to align the objectives of our institutions to the larger vision of the nation. Suresh Prabhu added that the university he founded is based on the principles of social impact and development. As an institution, my focus is on high-impact areas such as entrepreneurship, healthcare, creativity, education, and leadership. Our great ethos and culture of inquiry have to be explored and applied in a modern sense. Education is the medium to do this, he added.

Earlier, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, IABC’s Chair in his remarks described Suresh Prabhu a passionate votary of reforms who relentlessly strived to redefine the parameters of growth ushering positive transformation in the Indian society. Gerard Moore, Staff Director for Congressman Danny Davis presented Suresh Prabhu with the congressional proclamation that chronicled his invaluable contributions to the people of India. Vinesh Virani, IABC’s Executive Vice President conducted the question & answer session and while proposing the vote of thanks recognized and acknowledged the presence of many organizational leaders for their presence to honor Suresh Prabhu.

Several other prominent organizational leaders who spoke at the reception including Dr. Vemuri Murthy, Harish Kolasani, Krishna Bansal, Harendra Mangrola, Rakesh Malhotra, Sanjay Shah, Shiveda, Hema Virani, Nirav Patel, Subu Nagasubramaniam, Manoj Singamsetti,, Ganesh Kar, Hema Virani, JD Digsnvker and Rohit Joshi.

Dr. Vishweshwar R. Ranga Elected Chair, AAPI Board of Trustees

May 1, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile 0

Dr. Ranga, who is known for his organizational skills helped to put together various national and regional AAPI events.

He has worked on several AAPI Committees including: AAPI Bylaws Committee, Membership Committee, Awards Committee, and Publications Committee. Dr. Ranga has been recognized for his kindness, medical skills and going beyond the call of duty. “I was in good hands with him. I almost died from a car hitting me in a crosswalk. This man visited me every single day for one month. That is something I will never forget. Thank you, Dr. Ranga. Mom misses you,” Mike Cappello, a former patient of Dr. Ranga wrote on Social Media.

Gautam Adani Is World’s 5th Richest Person

May 1, 2022 Staff ReporterBusiness, Money, Profile 0

Gautam Adani, the Indian infrastructure mogul, became the richest Asian billionaire in history earlier this month–and he’s kept on climbing, reported Forbes magazine.

“Adani has now passed Warren Buffett to become the 5th richest person in the world,” said Forbes, estimating that the 59-year-old Adani has a net worth of $123.7 billion, as of Friday’s market close, edging out the $121.7 billion fortune of Buffett, who is 91.

Worth $8.9 billion just two years ago, Adani’s fortune spiked to an estimated $50.5 billion in March 2021 because of his skyrocketing share prices–then nearly doubled by March 2022, to an estimated $90 billion, as Adani Group stocks rose even further, according to Forbes.

“Adani’s estimated $123.7 billion net worth makes him the richest person in India, $19 billion wealthier than the country’s number 2, Mukesh Ambani (who’s worth an estimated $104.7 billion). He surpasses Buffett as shares of the famed investor’s Berkshire Hathaway dropped by 2% on Friday amid a broad drop in the U.S. stock market,” said Forbes.

There are now only four people on the planet richer than Adani, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaire tracker: Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates (worth an estimated $130.2 billion), French luxury goods king Bernard Arnault ($167.9 billion), Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($170.2 billion) and Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk ($269.7 billion), according to Forbes.

World today has 2,668 billionaires, including 236 newcomers—far fewer than last year’s 493

Forbes’ 36th annual World’s Billionaires List, released earlier this month, reveals 2,668 billionaires, including 236 newcomers—far fewer than last year’s 493.

Elon Musk tops the World’s Billionaires ranking for the first time ever, with an estimated net worth of $219 billion. Altogether the total net worth of the world’s billionaires is $12.7 trillion, down from last year’s $13.1 trillion.

Following last year’s record-breaking number of billionaires, the past 12 months have proven to be more volatile. The number of billionaires fell to 2,668, down from 2,755 last year. A total of 329 people dropped off the list this year—the most in a single year since the 2009 financial crisis.

“The tumultuous stock market contributed to sharp declines in the fortunes of many of the world’s richest,” said Kerry A. Dolan, Assistant Managing Editor of Wealth, Forbes. “Still, more than 1,000 billionaires got wealthier over the past year. The top 20 richest alone are worth a combined $2 trillion, up from $1.8 trillion in 2021.”

Key facts for the 2022 World’s Billionaires list:

Top Five: Tesla’s Elon Musk tops the list, unseating Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who drops to the No. 2 spot after spending the past four years as the richest person in the world. Bernard Arnault of LVMH remains at No. 3, followed by Bill Gates at No. 4. Rounding out the top five is Warren Buffett, who rejoins the top five after falling to No. 6 last year.
Newcomers: Among the list of notable newcomers are Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson(No.1929); OpenSea founders Devin Finzer and Alex Atallah (Nos. 1397); social media and e-commerce tycoon Miranda Qu (No. 1645) and pop star and cosmetics mogul Rihanna (No. 1729).
Self-Made: Of the total 2,668 people on the 2022 ranking, 1,891 are self-made billionaires, who founded or cofounded a company or established their own fortune (as opposed to inheriting it).
Women: There are 327 women billionaires, including 16 who share a fortune with a spouse, child or sibling, down from 328 in 2021.
Globally: Regionally, Asia-Pacific boasts the most billionaires, with 1,088, followed by the United States, with 735, and Europe, with 592.
Drop-offs: The war in Ukraine, a Chinese tech crackdown and slipping stock prices pushed 329 people off the World’s Billionaires list this year, including 169 one-hit wonders who were part of last year’s record 493 newcomers.

To view the full list, visit www.forbes.com/billionaires.

The 2022 Billionaires issue features five consecutive covers, including:

Igor Bukhman: When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, Igor Bukhman, the Russia-born billionaire founder of gaming company Playrix, found himself with thousands of employees divided by the frontlines. His internal battlefield offers lessons for us all.
Ken Griffin: War in Europe. The China-Russia alliance. De-dollarization. Ken Griffin, Wall Street’s billionaire kingpin, is making the best out of the worst of times.
Tope Awotona: Awotona built Calendly out of frustration. Now the scheduling app is worth $3 billion—and the subject of a heated Twitter spat among Silicon Valley elite.
Ryan Breslow: Bolt cofounder Ryan Breslow has boosted the value of his fintech to the moon by promising an Amazon-style checkout to millions of online retailers. Now the new billionaire is making a lot of noise—and some powerful enemies—challenging the tech industry’s culture and ethics.
Falguni Nayar: A decade ago, when she was 49, Nayar left behind her investment banking career to launch beauty-and-fashion retailer Nykaa. She took it public in November and is now India’s richest self-made woman. Nykaa, which means “one in the spotlight,” currently sells more than 4,000 brands online and in its 102 stores.

The Forbes World’s Billionaires list is a snapshot of wealth using stock prices and currency exchange rates from March 11, 2022.

Nishant (Neal) Patel Becomes Youngest Chairman in AAHOA History

April 21, 2022May 2, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Tourism, Youth 0

Texas hotelier Nishant (Neal) Patel, CHO, CHIA, is the new Chairman of AAHOA’s Board of Directors. Patel became chairman at the conclusion of the 2022 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in Baltimore, which was the second major convention AAHOA has held since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The convention was held at the Baltimore Convention Center.

“I’m thrilled to be stepping up to the role of chairman and honored to serve as the association’s youngest chairman in history,” Patel said. “AAHOA has gone through a lot of changes over the past year, and I’m looking forward to helping lead this great organization into the future.”

Patel became an AAHOA Member in 2012 and soon volunteered to serve as an AAHOA Ambassador. He joined AAHOA’s Board of Directors in 2016 after being elected as the Young Professional Director Western Division, a position he held for three years.

“If you’ve ever wondered to what extent AAHOA serves its membership, I am a perfect example,” Patel said. “My parents didn’t have the opportunity to have AAHOA as a resource, but thankfully, when I took over the family business, AAHOA was there for me as I navigated the hospitality industry. AAHOA provided me with the educational tools I needed to run a hotel successfully.”

Patel grew up in Surat, India, and nearly two decades ago, his family left everything they knew to start a new life in Mississippi. “Like the majority of AAHOA Members, we were in search of the ‘American Dream,’” Patel said. “My parents wanted to create a better life for their children and leave a legacy that generations to come would be proud of.”

Patel is a second-generation hotelier who grew up in the industry wearing many hats as he helped his family run their first 20-room independent property in Laurel, MS.

These days, Patel calls Austin, TX, home and is the managing partner of Blue Chip Hotels, which owns and operates multiple hotels. Blue Chip Hotels has more than 1,200 rooms in several states among both branded and independent properties.

“My parents always told me that if you don’t try, you won’t succeed. If you talk too much, you’re not learning,” Patel said. “As I step into my new role, my focus is on our members and serving them well. Going forward, I will be the facilitator to make things happen.”

Patel is inspired to give back to the hospitality industry through service. He serves on the HITEC Advisory Council and promotes organ donor awareness through his volunteer work with Samaj Saves Lives.

“AAHOA helped us create generational success,” Patel said. “After all that AAHOA has given me and my family, I’m looking forward to serving this great organization and giving back to the AAHOA community through listening, learning, bringing new ideas to the table, and enacting change at every level of the organization. Thank you for placing your faith in me as AAHOA’s next Chairman. I am here to serve you, our valued members.”

AAHOA Announces New Secretary and Board Members

Kamalesh (KP) Patel of Santa Cruz, CA, is the new AAHOA Secretary. Patel is the CEO of Aarav Hospitality, LLC, and AKS Hospitality, LLC.

AAHOA Members also elected the following ten members to the Board of Directors:

Alabama Regional Director: Sanjay M. Patel

Central Midwest Regional Director: Arti Patel

North Carolina Regional Director: Pinkesh Patel

Northeast Regional Director: Preyas Patel

Northwest Regional Director: Taran Patel

Upper Midwest Regional Director: Kalpesh Joshi

Washington DC Area Regional Director: Deepak Patel

Director at Large Eastern Division: Pinal Patel

Director at Large Western Division: Hitesh Patel

Young Professional Director – Western Division: Tanmay Patel

“I’m thrilled to welcome our new AAHOA Secretary and all of our newly elected board members. Over the last 30 years, our volunteer leaders have worked tirelessly to make AAHOA a leading hotel association in the U.S. and advocate for initiatives that help the hospitality industry thrive,” said incoming AAHOA Chairman Nishant (Neal) Patel. “As we continue on this road to recovery, it is encouraging to see so many members rising to the occasion and serving America’s hotel owners. I can’t wait to start working alongside the new AAHOA Officers, our Board of Directors, and the entire AAHOA Team. Together, we will work on taking this great association to the next level.”

AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the nation, with Member-owned properties representing a significant part of the U.S. economy. AAHOA’s 20,000 members own 60% of the hotels in the United States and are responsible for 1.7% of the nation’s GDP. More than one million employees work at AAHOA member-owned hotels, earning $47 billion annually, and member-owned hotels support 4.2 million U.S. jobs across all sectors of the hospitality industry. AAHOA’s mission is to advance and protect the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community engagement.

Rachna Sachdeva Nominated As Ambassador To Mali

April 21, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American diplomat Rachna Sachdeva Korhonen as his envoy to Mali, the White House said on April 15th.

A career member of the US Foreign Service, Korhonen currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary and the Executive Director of the combined Executive Offices of the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

She has previously had assignments at the US Embassy in Kuwait and the US Consulate General in Mumbai. She was the Consul General and Principal Officer of the US Consulate in Dharan, Saudi Arabia.

She also led the Management Section of the US Embassy in Colombo, and, in Washington, she served as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management.

Among her other assignments, Korhonen was the Supervisory General Services Officer and Senior Human Resources Officer at the US Embassy in Riyadh, and the Political Chief of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kirkuk, Iraq.

A New Jersey native, Korhonen has a bachelors in Computer Science and Mathematics and worked in the corporate sector before joining the State Department.

Korhonen’s is the third nomination of an Indian American to the office of Ambassador. Biden has also nominated Puneet Talwar to Morocco and Shefali Razdan Duggal to the Netherlands.

Indian American Named Bishop Of Columbus, OH

April 21, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Religion 0

An Indian-American priest, Rev. Earl Kenneth Fernandes, 49, will have the distinction of becoming the first Indian-American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, after he was named bishop-elect of Columbus, Ohio. He will also be the first person of color to serve as the bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, as well the youngest diocesan bishop in the United States.

The announcement on April 2, 2022, was made by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Papal Nuncio to the United States. The new Bishop will be consecrated and installed as the 13th bishop of Columbus (Ohio) on May 31, 2022. Rev. Fernandes has roots in Mangalore, Goa, and Mumbai.

Born on September 21, 1972, in Toledo in Ohio to Sidney Oswald Fernandes and Thelma Fernandes nee’ Noronha, who migrated to the USA from the western Indian metropolis of Bombay (now Mumbai) in the early 1970s. Fr Earl has four brothers: Karl, Trevor (who is a Catholic deacon), Ashley, and Eustace – Trevor is a Magistrate and others are medical doctors.

Rev. Fernandes obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Toledo in 1994 and went on to study physiology at the University of Salford. It was in his second year of medical studies at the University of Cincinnati that he felt the call of the Lord to serve Him. The bishop-elect, did his priestly formation at Mount Saint Mary’s of the West in Cincinnati and bagged a master’s in Theology in 2002. He attributes his deep faith and vocation to the exemplary prayer life of his mother, a teacher, and his father, a physician.

Rev. Fernandes was ordained a priest on May 18, 2002, for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and two years later he went to Rome to earn a licentiate and doctoral degree in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy. Fr Earl served as vicar of Holy Angels parish and was a religious teacher at Lehman Catholic High School from 2002 to 2004.

He has also served as the dean and assistant professor of moral theology at Mount Saint Mary’s of the West seminary from 2008 to 2016. He served as a member of the executive committee for the National Association of Catholic Theological Schools and was appointed a Missionary of Mercy during the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy from 2015 to 2016. He served on the staff of the nunciature for three and a half years.

A board of trustees member of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Fr Earl is fluent in Spanish, Italian and French apart from having a reading knowledge of Latin – both his parents have an old Konkani Catholic background.

The diocese, spread across 11,310 square miles in the state of Ohio, has 207,041 Catholics out of a population of 2,828,514. He will be the first Indian-American bishop of the Latin Church in the United States, and will be the first person of color to serve as the Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, aged 49 years, he is the youngest diocesan Bishop in the United States, upon ordination.

In his first public speech Bishop-elect Rev, Fernandes said, “This America is the land of opportunity, there is a great deal of pride (in being the first Indian-American bishop).”

The fourth of five sons born to Indian immigrants in Toledo, young Earnest remembers celebrating the U.S. bicentennial on July 4, 1976, holding signs with his four brothers. His father, who memorized the Constitution before taking his citizenship test, had fashioned together his own version of the Liberty Bell. Rev Fernandes is a self-described “young and happy priest”.

News of Fernandes’ appointment as a Bishop comes months after Pope Francis reassigned former Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan to lead the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Dr. Joseph M. Chalil, MBBS, MBA, FACHE is appointed as the Chief Medical Officer of Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVOS) and the New President of Novomerica Health Group

April 13, 2022April 14, 2025 Staff ReporterHealth, Profile 0

Dr. Joseph M. Chalil, MBBS, MBA, FACHE, Best Selling Author and Publisher of The Universal News Network, (www.theunn.com) has been appointed as the Chief Medical Officer of Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVOS) and the New President of Novomerica Health Group, Inc on April 5^th, 2022. In addition, Dr, Chalil will maintain his leadership of Clinical Consultants International LLC (CCI).

While announcing the appointment, Robert Mattacchione, Novo’s CEO and Board Chairman of Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. stated, “Adding CCI and the impressive CCI team of highly respected, proven leaders in the medical community, led by Dr. Chalil, is a significant milestone intended to accelerate Novo’s expansion to both the U.S. and other global markets. As the healthcare sector worldwide is facing increasingly complex demands with incredible opportunities to leverage technology and new service models, Dr. Chalil and the CCI team are the perfect partner to accelerate the growth of Novo’s decentralized healthcare delivery business model.

Dr. Chalil and his team share Novo’s forward-thinking vision and combined with CCI’s exceptional talent undoubtedly make CCI a strong addition to the Novo portfolio of companies.” Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. is pioneering a holistic approach to patient-first health and wellness through a multidisciplinary healthcare ecosystem of services and product innovation.

Under the terms of Novo’s acquisition, CCI will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. CCI has an impressive international team of physician leaders, diplomats, hospital administrators, and regulatory/FDA experts.

“Working with Rob and the Novo team over the last year, I’ve witnessed firsthand Novo’s commitment to be a leader in the ongoing transformation of healthcare delivery worldwide,” said Dr. Chalil. “I cannot think of a better partnership for CCI and the CCI team and it is my honor to join the Novo team with this acquisition. I am excited to work closely with Rob and the Novo team to implement our shared vision for the path forward to improving access to high-quality healthcare services and products worldwide.”

Founded in 2006, the highly respected CCI senior strategic advisor team includes Ambassador Pradeep K. Kapur, IFS (IIT Delhi), former Indian Ambassador to several countries including Chile, Dr. Zach P. Zachariah, MD, Medical Director of Health Cardiology, and the longest-serving member of the Florida Board of Medicine, Saju George, CEO for Garden City Hospital and Prime Healthcare’s midwestern region, and other professionals with extensive healthcare and hospital management experience.

Dr.Chalil served as Chairman of Novo’s Medical Advisory Board since April ‘2021. Dr. Chalil is an author of several scientific and research papers in international publications. He is also the Chairman of the Complex Health Systems Advisory Board, H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and a member of Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine Executive Leadership Council.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, he is board certified in healthcare management. He has been awarded a Fellowship by the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare organizations. Dr.Chalil has held roles of increasing responsibility at DBV Technologies, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott Laboratories, and Hoffmann-La Roche.

Additionally, Dr.Chalil is the former Chairman of the Indo-American Press Club. He is an expert in U.S. healthcare policy and a strong advocate for patient-centered care. A strong proponent of providing healthcare access to everyone, Dr. Chalil’s new book, Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Envisioning a Better World by Transforming the Future of Healthcare, is on Amazon’s Best Sellers List.

AAPI Elects New Leaders For 2022-23 And Beyond

April 13, 2022April 21, 2022 Staff ReporterHealth, Profile 0

(Chicago, IL: April 10, 2022) “We have successfully concluded our elections for the year 2022-23 for AAPI leadership positions,” Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, current President of AAPI, and Dr. Sajani Shah, AAPI’s Chief Election Officer and Immediate Past Chair BOT, jointly announced here today. “We thank the election officers Dr. Seema Arora, Dr. Sharad Lakhanpal, Dr. Sunita Kanumury, Dr. Arun Pramanik, Dr. Ashok Jain, and all of you for participating in the Election.”

While thanking the tens of thousands of Indian American physicians, who are actively holding membership at the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), and participated in the election process, Dr. Gotiumukula said, “I want to thank AAPI members who enthusiastically participated in the AAPI’s electronic voting process that was held over a period of nearly a month and have elected a new and dynamic team to lead AAPI, the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States in the coming year and beyond.”

While announcing the results of the election after months-long campaigning for several offices to the national body and regional chapters, Dr. Sajani Shah, Chief Election Officer, 2022 said, Dr. Satheesh Kathula has been elected as the Vice President of AAPI, Dr. Meherbala Medavaram was elected as the Secretary and Dr. Sumul Raval was elected Treasurer of AAPI for the year 2022-23. Dr. Kavita Gupta, Dr. Sunil Kaza, and Dr. Malti Mehta have been elected to AAPI’s Board of Trustees for a two-year term.

Dr. V. Ranga will serve as the Chair, AAPI Board of Trustees for the year, 2022-23. Giving representation and strengthening the voice of young physicians of Indian origin, AAPI members elected Dr. Pooja Kinkhabwala as the President, AAPI Young Physicians Section (YPS) and elected Dr. Ammu Susheela as the President of AAPI- Medical Student/Residents & Fellows Section (MSRF).

“I feel very satisfied that the election committee has been able to do well in providing a very FAIR election to everyone, following all bylaws, while dealing with big challenges in implementation of this electronic process, taking extra security precautions, anti-hacking measures, fixing glitches, resolving disputes, anxieties, and concerns of the members,” Dr. Seema Arora, Immediate Past Election Officer, during whose term, the new electronic voting was introduced a year ago, said.

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, Immediate Past President of AAPI thanked the election committee members, and the entire Executive Committee led by Dr. Gotimukula for making this election smooth and transparent. Dr. Suresh Reddy, former President of AAPI congratulated the winners in the AAPI elections, and wished the new team under the leadership of Dr. Kolli the very best.

“As the incoming President of AAPI, I would like to congratulate my incoming new team for the fiscal year 2022-23,” said Dr. Ravi Kolli, who will assume charge as the President of AAPI during the 40^th annual convention in San Antonio, TX in June this year. “I’m very honored, and consider myself fortunate to be bestowed with the responsibility of leading the four decades old strong organization with the cooperation and collaboration of an excellent group of dedicated, hardworking, and loyal officers and executive committee members who are with me to take AAPI to newer heights,” he added. Dr. Kolli did not have to contest the election this year, as he has been serving as the President-Elect during the past year.

Dr. Anjana Sammadar, who has been serving AAPI as the Vice President in the current year also did not face elections, as she automatically becomes the President-Elect of AAPI for the coming year. In addition to Dr. Samaddar, Dr. Ravi Kolli will have a dynamic and diverse team comprising of Dr. Satheesh Kathula as Vice President; Dr. Meherbala Medavaram as the Secretary; Dr. Sumul Raval as the Treasurer; Dr. V. Ranga – as the Chair, Board of Trustees; Dr. Pooja Kinkhabwala – President, Young Physicians Section; and, Dr. Ammu Susheela, President, Medical Student/Residents & Fellows Section. Dr. Gotimukula will continue to guide AAPI as the Immediate past President of AAPI.

“I am looking forward to working towards strengthening the goals and mission of AAPI and to help make AAPI a healthcare leader in US and globally and work in the best interests of our Physicians and our community here in the US and server our motherland, India,” added Dr. Kolli.

While congratulating the newly elected leaders to the Executive Committee, Dr. Anjana Samaddar, the President-Elect in 2022-23 said here in a statement: “I want to congratulate all the winners of the election. I want to especially thank all the candidates for their passion and dedication to serving AAPI and regardless of the outcome, we need you as a valuable team member of our beloved AAPI. ”

Dr. Satheesh Kathula, who won the election to be the next Vice President of AAPI, said, “I am humbled and honored to be bestowed with this responsibility and will work to the greatest of my abilities to reach our goals, addressing the challenges, and advance the issues important to our members. We will work together to promote our values of professionalism, collegiality, and excellence in patient care and enhance AAPI’s reputation as a premier professional organization offering educational programs and advocacy.”

Dr. Meherbala Medavaram, Secretary-Elect of AAPI said, “I would like to thank all AAPI members from the bottom of my heart for this honor and assure that I will sincerely work for the betterment of our beloved organization, AAPI. Once again, I thank everyone for the opportunity to serve.” She expressed gratitude to the Election Committee, who “successfully organized this election, with great participation from AAPI members.”

Dr. Sumul Raval, the newly elected Treasurer of AAPI said, “I am honored to be elected as the Treasurer of national AAPI. I appreciate and thank all of you for your trust in me. I will try everything in me to unite AAPI. Your guidance, support, and vote made this possible. This win belongs to all our members for trusting our vision of growth & progress. I hope to receive your continued support and love.”

Dr. Kusum Punjabi, the outgoing BOT Chair thanked the Election Committee for their meticulous planning and organizing the elections with integrity and fairness. She said, “I congratulate the winners and the new leadership who are entrusted with the responsibility of leading it in the year 2022-23 and beyond. I wish them the very best and my whole-hearted support.”

While conceding the election to Dr. Medavaram to be the next Secretary of AAPI, Dr. Krishan Kumar said, “Thank you so much for supporting me all these years. I am glad to see the healthy spirit of all candidates (winners or not) for the association. I will continue to serve this great association, AAPI, until my last breath. AAPI is a big family and full of talented people. I cherish every moment of being part of it.”

In his message, Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, who was the past Secretary and conceded the election to Dr. Kathula, said, “I am thankful to my Supporters who gave me their precious vote honoring my 25 years of service for AAPI. Next year we will work harder and show the world that dedication and hard work for the betterment of AAPI, will eventually prevail and we will succeed. I congratulate all the winners. I wish Satheesh the best of luck as he moves forward with his new responsibility.”

The growing influence of physicians of Indian heritage is evident, as increasingly physicians of Indian origin hold critical positions in the healthcare, academic, research and administrative positions across the nation. We the physicians of Indian origin are proud of our great achievements and contributions to our motherland, India, our adopted land, the US and in a very significant way to the transformation of the Indo-US relations.

Serving 1 in every 7 patients in the US, AAPI members care for millions of patients every day, while several of them have risen to hold high flying jobs, shaping the policies and programs and inventions that shape the landscape of healthcare in the US and around the world.

Dr. Gotimukula, while reminding the members of AAPI said, “Since its inception in 1982, AAPI has been in the forefront, representing a conglomeration of more than 100,000 practicing physicians in the United States, seeking to be the united voice for the physicians of Indian origin. I hope and wish that the new Team under Dr. Ravi Kolli will continue the noble mission and strengthen our efforts to make AAPI reach greater heights.” For more details, please visit: www.appiusa,org

AAPI ELECTIONS 2022 – RESULTS

The following are the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees & Regional Directors for the year 2022-23.

President	Dr. Ravi Kolli
President-Elect	Dr. Anjana Samadder
Vice President	Dr. Satheesh Kathula
Secretary	Dr. Meherbala Medavaram
Treasurer	Dr. Sumul Raval
Immediate Past President	Dr. Anupama Gotimukula
Chair, AAPI Board of Trustees	Dr. V. Ranga
President, AAPI YPS	Dr. Pooja Kinkhabwala
President, AAPI MSRF	Dr. Ammu Susheela
Regional Director, Pacific Region	Dr. Vandana Agarwal
Regional Director, Mountain Region	Dr. Harnath Singh
Regional Director, NW Central Region	Dr. Raghuveer Kura
Regional Director, SW Central Region	Dr. Anil Tibrewal
Regional Director, NE Central-I Region	Dr. Rama Medavaram
Regional Director, NE Central-II Region	Dr. Suresh Sharoff
Regional Director, SE Central Region	Dr. Pavankumar Panchavati
Regional Director, New England Region	Dr. Saraswathi Muppana
Regional Director, Mid Atlantic-I Region	Dr. Rakesh K, Mehta
Regional Director Mid Atlantic-II Region	Dr. Hetal Gor
Regional Director, South Atlantic Region	TBA
Regional Director, South Region	Dr. Vijay Maurya
Board of Trustee	Dr. V. Ranga (Chair)
Board of Trustee	Dr. Jagdish Gupta
Board of Trustee	Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu
Board of Trustee	Dr. Sapna Aggarwal
Board of Trustee	Dr. Lokesh Edara
Board of Trustee	Dr. Srinagesh Paluvoi
Board of Trustee	Dr. Kavita Gupta
Board of Trustee	Dr. Sunil Kaza
Board of Trustee	Dr. Malti Mehta
Immediate Past BOT Chair	Dr. Kusum Punjabi
YPS Representative on Board	Dr. Soumya Neravetla
MSRF Representative on Board	Dr. Ayesha Singh

Biden’s Nominee To Be US Envoy, Garcetti May Not Make It To India

April 6, 2022April 13, 2022 Staff ReporterNation India, Nation USA, Profile 0

Concerns are mounting on Capitol Hill around the viability of Mayor Eric Garcett’s India ambassadorship nomination. AXIOS reported on March 3^rd that US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s team is privately acknowledging to Senate Democrats that Eric Garcetti doesn’t currently have 50 votes within their caucus to be confirmed as ambassador to India, congressional aides reportedly told Axios.

The comments by the Senate majority leader’s office, delivered last week through his legislative director during a call with other LDs, mean the Los Angeles mayor is unlikely to receive a floor vote any time soon, Axios reported. Garcetti was formally nominated eight months ago.

His remarks also indicate the growing concern — and confusion — within the Democratic Party about the fate of President Biden’s nominee to serve as ambassador to a crucial country resisting the administration’s efforts to get tougher on Russia.

Politico reported last week that “As the US Senate considered making Garcetti emissary to the world’s biggest democracy, the consternation was initially confined to the GOP: Republican Iowa Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley both placed holds on Garcetti’s nomination last month over allegations that Garcetti knew of sexual misconduct in his office, when he was the mayor of Los Angeles.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has placed a “hold” on Garcetti’s nomination, pending his own independent investigations into the allegations. Sen. Joni Ernest (R-Iowa) has placed a second hold on the nomination. The core of the allegations stems from a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles Police Department officer Matthew Garza, who claimed that Rick Jacobs, while the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, sexually harassed him. Jacobs has denied the allegations and Garcetti has denied being aware of them.

As per reports by Politico, the Biden administration dispatched a State Department emissary to mollify anxious Democratic Senate staffers about Garcetti. Perennial swing vote Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has not made up her mind — once again raising the prospect that the Arizona Democrat could deny her party a unified vote, which would effectively torpedo Garcetti’s chances in a 50-50 Senate.

AXIOS reports that Schumer’s team was asked about the timing of a possible Garcetti vote during a weekly call designed to provide a big-picture issues overview to Senate offices. The staffer’s comments were based on the public indications from some Democratic senators — a number of whom have said they want more information about allegations of workplace sexual harassment before supporting Garcetti. “At this time, Schumer’s office is not formally “whipping” the vote — asking senators how they plan to vote.” The comments were made before Axios reported Thursday last week that Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) had “concerns” about the allegations. That brought the public number of wavering Democratic senators to five.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee looked into the allegations and concluded Garcetti had been truthful in a legal deposition during which he denied any knowledge. Garcetti’s nomination was voted out of committee in January without Republican opposition.

On March 25, a State Department official briefed Senate chiefs of staff, explaining the allegations had been investigated by the department and the committee and they determined Garcetti didn’t know about the alleged behavior. A Biden administration representative reiterated last week that Garcetti still has the administration’s confidence, saying both the State Department and the White House were calling senators on his behalf.

After Imran Khan Dissolves Pak Parliament, Court To Decide His Fate

April 6, 2022April 13, 2022 Staff ReporterGlobal, Profile 0

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan avoided a no-confidence motion that was set to happen on April 3^rd, by dissolving the Pakistan Parliament ahead of the crucial vote. Now, Pakistan’s supreme court is expected to decide the fate of embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan, following a day of political turmoil.

Khan, who is facing the toughest challenge of his political career, requested the country’s president dissolve Parliament and called on the nation to prepare for a fresh election. Pakistan’s president Arif Alvi – who is from Khan’s ruling PTI party – dissolved parliament in a step towards early elections. The move has sparked anger among the opposition, with some politicians accusing Mr Khan of “treason” for not allowing the vote to go ahead. But in a television address and a series of late night tweets Khan defended the decision.

As per BBC reports, Khan has faced an attempt to oust him from office in recent days. But in a move that has roiled the country, members of Khan’s party on Sunday, blocked a vote of no-confidence in the PM and dissolved Parliament. Elections are likely to follow and the question remains uncertain as to who will lead Pakistan into its 76th year after it gained independence from Britain and got separated from India as a Muslim majority country. No prime minister of Pakistan has ever completed a full term and, over the 75 years of its existence, Pakistan has failed to establish stable and effective political institutions.

Less than a day from a no-confidence vote that will almost certainly remove him from office, Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan said that he would not accept the result of the vote, dismissing it as part of an American conspiracy against him and setting the stage for the country’s political crisis to drag on far beyond Sunday, as Khan fights to remain in politics, New York Timers reported.

For months, Khan has been battling depleting foreign exchange reserves and double digit inflation, with the cost of basic necessities such as food and fuel skyrocketing. Khan had claimed the vote was part of a US-led conspiracy to remove him, but the US has denied this. Furious opposition politicians have now filed a petition to the Supreme Court to rule on whether the move to block the vote was constitutional.

Pakistan’s main opposition parties have been rallying for Khan’s dismissal since he rose to power in 2018 after a dramatic election mired in accusations of vote rigging and foul play. Khan was widely regarded as having come to power with the help of Pakistan’s army, but they have since fallen out, according to observers. His political opponents then seized this opportunity to demand a no-confidence vote after persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect to them.

Khan’s perceived failure to work in tandem with his allies, as well as country’s powerful military, had led to a breakdown of relations within his coalition government. As per Times, the no-confidence vote slated for Sunday was the culmination of a political crisis that has consumed Pakistan for weeks after Khan, the international cricket star turned politician, appeared to lose support from the country’s powerful military last year and a coalition of opposition parties moved to vote him out of office last month.

The Times reported that, this week, the tide appeared to turn against Khan after several parties in his governing coalition split away — giving the opposition the simple majority needed in the 342-member National Assembly to remove him from office, and prompting calls for him to resign ahead of the vote.

According to reports, the country’s powerful military, which has not publicly taken a side in the current political crisis, seemed to distance itself from Khan’s policy agenda. Speaking at a security conference in Islamabad, the army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, said that Pakistan hoped to expand and deepen its ties with other countries, including the United States — a sharp rebuke to Mr. Khan’s foreign policy agenda distancing Pakistan from the United States. General Bajwa said that Pakistan “shares a long history of excellent and strategic relationship with the U.S.,” adding that the United States represents Pakistan’s largest exports market.

No Pakistani leader has completed a full five-year term as prime minister since the country’s formation in 1947. There are now concerns Khan’s move to call an early election could risk further political instability in the South Asian nation.

Biden Nominates Kalpana Kotagal, Vinay Singh To Key Posts

April 6, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile 0

Kalpana Kotagal, the daughter of immigrants from India, has been nominated by Presdeitn Joe Biden as the nominee for Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last week. Vinay Singh, has been nominated for Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Vinay Singh, a Certified Public Accountant, is currently a Senior Advisor to the Administrator at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), assisting agency teams to deliver organizational efficiencies to better serve our communities’ small businesses. Singh has 25 years of private sector leadership experience with a deep understanding of finance, analytics, and strategy.

Prior to his role at SBA, Singh was a Partner and Chief Operating Officer for the Infrastructure practice at KPMG in India. As a senior member of the executive team, he led several organizational transformation projects, leveraging technology to improve profitability and decision-making. As Lead Partner for the World Bank Group account, he supported global sustainability projects focused on solving urban and rural challenges in housing, water, energy, and economic development.

Previously, Singh served in the Obama-Biden Administration as a Deputy Assistant Secretary (U.S. Field). He played a key role in leading trade and investment policy and promotion efforts to better market conditions for U.S. companies. In his early years as a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Project Management Professional (PMP), Singh helped several companies improve operational and financial performance. He holds an MBA from Widener University.

Kalpana Kotagal is a Partner at Cohen Milstein, a member of the firm’s Civil Rights & Employment practice group, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Hiring and Diversity Committee. She is co-author of the seminal legal template the “Inclusion Rider.” Kotagal is a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert, and represents disenfranchised people in employment and civil rights litigation involving issues related to Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Kotagal was a Harvard Law School Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow and was named an “Employment Law MVP” by Law360 in 2018, recognizing the top five most influential employment lawyers in the United States. Kotagal sits on the Boards of Directors of A Better Balance and Public Justice Foundation. She is co-chair of the Alumni Advisory Board on Equity & Inclusion at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a member of the American Constitution Society Task Force on #MeToo in the Legal Profession, and serves on the Advisory Board of the People’s Parity Project.

The, Kotagal earned her B.S. and an A.B., with honors, from Stanford University and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to joining Cohen Milstein, Kotagal served as a law clerk to the Honorable Betty Binns Fletcher of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two sons.

Dr. Mathew Joys Wins Manayil Jacob Memorial Award

April 6, 2022 Staff ReporterArt, Profile 0

The Poetry Award in memory of the late poet Manayil Jacob was presented to Dr. Mathew Joys, Las Vegas. His short poem, “The mourning of a Mother Deer” (maanin maathrurodanam), was selected by a reputed five-member judging panel for the award. The specialty of this poem is that it is an Acrostic composition ( a poem in which the first letter of each line is the same).

The award consists of a plaque and a cash award sponsored by the Manayil Jacob family to commemorate the tribute to a great poet who passed away last year. Dr. Mathew Joys is the first winner of this prestigious award, awarded for the first time by Kerala Literary Society, Dallas, the oldest Malayalam Literary Association in the American continent, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Dr. Matthew Joys is also a columnist in English and Malayalam newspapers and other periodicals. He has been writing articles on current topics, light poems, stories, and published books of his collections. His interpretation of the “Song of Songs in the Bible” named “Oh my Beloved” and collection of his selected works called “Amerikkan Aadukal “ (The American Goats) are popularly applauded by the Pravasi Literary Writers. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Indo-American Press Club and Executive Editor of the JaihindVartha, Editor of United News Network, and Express Herald.

Writer, filmmaker, and actor Thampi Antony presented the award and presented the award at a ceremony in Dallas organized by the Kerala Literacy Society. He opined that the characters should be seen and enjoyed as fantasies and that realizing them and filling the mind with competition would lead to social destruction. P.P. Cherian, a journalist and writer received the award for the winner.

The Manayil Poetry Award is sponsored by Manayil family member Rajan Chittar who said that the award would be given every year through a poetry competition. Renowned Writers Abraham Thekkemuri, Jose Ochalil, C.V.George, Josen George, Rosamma George, Santosh Pillai, Sarah Teacher, Meena Nebu, and Usha Rajendran were also present at the magnificent event.

The fourth souvenir by Kerala Literary Society, “Petals” was released at the ceremony. The book is over 150 pages and is rich with poems, stories, and essays by more than 20 expatriate writers. Former Secretary Haridas Thankappan welcomed the gathering. Siju V George presided over the function, and Anashwaran Mampilly Expressed a vote of thanks to all the guests and the Award winner. Shaji Mathew and Meenu Elizabeth co-hosted a musical evening featured by Dallas Melodies’ troop.

Indian American Joseph Patel & Team Win Oscar For Documentary, ‘Summer of Soul’

March 30, 2022April 6, 2022 Staff ReporterEntertainment, Profile 0

Indian American Joseph Monish Patel along with co-producers David Dinerstein and Robert Fyvolent and director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson won Best Documentary Feature Oscar for “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).”

“First Patel to ever win an Oscar” declared Joseph Monish Patel on his Instagram handle along with an image of the award after winning one at the 94th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Mar.27^th.

Indeed, for the Indian American who had been bullied as a youngster for the name ‘Monish’ it must have been a gratifying journey to the top!

The documentary is an exploration of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which was held at Mount Morris Park in Harlem. Running for six weeks, it drew a large attendance and performers like Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and the Pips.

The festival was a celebration of African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity. Given all this, it still drew little attention in pop culture history. The documentary tries to figure out why.

For the Indian American community centered on Bollywood and the stars who make it here, Patel may not be in the forefront of the imagination, but he has an applause worthy body of work.

He began his career as a music journalist and went on to produce and direct television and digital content for MTV News and Docs, Vice Media, The Fader, and Vevo. He is a BAFTA nominated producer as well as a winner of several critics’ awards.

The Indian American told GQ magazine, that his father was a grad student in the US, when he went back home to Gujarat to get married. While dad is from Baroda, his mother came to Anand with her family via Uganda when she was 12.

Patel was born soon after and was raised in California’s Bay area. He later to college at UC Davis and he told the magazine that it was “probably the most transformative experience I had in my life was being involved in the campus radio station. It’s there where I found my tribe.”

While the Indian American made history as a Patel, it was a heartbreaker for the Indian documentary, ‘Writing With Fire,’ directed by the filmmaker duo of Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh which was in the race for the same category.

The “Summer of Soul” team received the award by Chris Rock, who had just been slapped by Will Smith following a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. “This is such a stunning moment for me right now, but it’s not about me,” Questlove said. “It’s about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. Just know that in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem.”

The documentary edged past “Writing With Fire,” chronicling India’s only Dalit women-run newspaper; and Riz Ahmed co-produced “Flee,” which tells the real-life story of Amin, a gay Afghan refugee, through vividly animated renderings of both his past and future with a new husband; as well as “Ascension,” by Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell; and “Attica” by Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry.

It was Thomas and Ghosh’s debut feature documentary about a newspaper ‘Khabar Lahariya’ started as a social experiment by an NGO. It’s India’s only rural newspaper run by Dalit women since 2002, from Chitrakoot in the Bundelkhand region.

The documentary captures ‘Khabar Lahariya’s’ switch from print to digital in recent years. It follows how the newspaper’s chief reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful by reporting India’s biggest issues and within the confines of their own homes, questioning notions of patriarchy and redefining power, investigating local police-force incompetence, listening in and standing by victims of caste and gender violence. It was the first Indian documentary made by an all-India independent production to bag an Oscar nomination in this category.

A producer, director, writer, and executive with over two decades of experience in TV, film, digital and print journalism, the Brooklyn, New York-based Patel was most recently the Head of Content at Vevo, the world’s largest music video platform. He has held similar positions at Vice Media, The Fader, and MTV News & Docs. He recently won two Clio Awards for films produced in partnership between The Fader and YouTube (2018 Gold, “Stormzy: Gang Signs & Prayer” and 2017 Silver “Aurora: Nothing is Eternal”).

125-Year-Old Yoga Guru Receives Padma Shri

March 30, 2022 Staff ReporterCulture, Profile 0

India’s President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday conferred the Padma Shri award to 125-year-old Swami Sivananda for his contribution towards Yoga at a Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, here.

Born in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, Swami Sivananda has authored 296 books on yoga, Vedanta, and a variety of subjects.

His books emphasised the practical application of Yoga philosophy over theoretical knowledge.

As Swami Sivananda entered the hall, he first bowed down in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, seeing that, also bowed down in front of him.

As he walked further towards the President’s chair, he again bowed down as a mark of respect towards the head of the state.

The video clip of 125-year-old Yoga Guru, receiving the award from the President went viral on social media with people showering their praises.

The Padma Awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. These Awards are given in various disciplines or fields of activities such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were the Vice President of India, Prime Minister and Union Minister for Home Affairs, a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

Oscar-Nominated Smriti Mundhra Gets DGA Award Episode On Homelessness

March 22, 2022 Staff ReporterEntertainment, Profile 0

Oscar-nominated Indian-American filmmaker Smriti Mundhra took home the first award — for the best children’s program — at the 74th Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA Awards) on Saturday night (U.S. Pacific Time).

It was presented by Pamela Adlon, creator and star of the comedy-drama series ‘Better Things’ to Mundhra for the ‘Shelter’ episode of HBO Max’s series, ‘Through Our Eyes’, reports ‘Deadline’.

‘Through Our Eyes’ is an inspiring journey into the lives of American families, from the perspective of children as they navigate formidable yet all-too-common challenges along with parents and siblings.

The four-part gritty docu-series captures the innocence of childhood and the strength of perseverance in the face of parental incarceration, climate displacement, the wounds of war, and homelessness (the last being the subject of Mundhra’s award-winning episode).

To Indian viewers, Mundhra is better-known as the maker of the Netflix series ‘Indian Matchmaking’ presented by Sima Taparia.

Mundhra shared the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival for her first feature documentary film, ‘A Suitable Girl’, with her co-director Sarita Khurana.

She and co-director Sami Khan got an Oscar nomination in 2020 for her documentary, ‘St Louis Superman’, on the activist, battle rapper and former politician Bruce Franks, Jr.

Mundhra, incidentally, is the daughter of the late Indian American filmmaker Jag Mundhra, who is still remembered for ‘Kamla’ (1984), starring Deepti Naval, Shabana Azmi and Marc Zuber, which centered around a celebrated journalistic expose, and the ‘Kama Sutra’ movies — ‘The Perfumed Garden’ and ‘Monsoon’.

Dr. Ashish Jha Appointed By Biden To Lead US Efforts On Covid

March 22, 2022 Staff ReporterHealth, Media, Profile 0

President Joe Biden announced on March 17, 2022 that he is appointing Indian-American physician, Dr. Ashish Jha as the “perfect person” to lead the White House Covid national initiative. Jeff Zients, who currently leads the effort is stepping down.

“To lead this effort, I am excited to name Dr. Ashish Jha as the new White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator. Dr. Jha is one of the leading public health experts in America, and a well-known figure to many Americans from his wise and calming public presence. And as we enter a new moment in the pandemic – executing on my National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and managing the ongoing risks from COVID – Dr. Jha is the perfect person for the job,” Biden said in a statement which also announced the departure of Zients.

“I appreciate both Jeff and Dr. Jha for working closely to ensure a smooth transition, and I look forward to continued progress in the months ahead,” the President said. According to Brown University, where Dr. Jha is the Dean of the School of Public Health, he will be taking a short-term leave for the temporary special assignment.

A globally recognized expert on pandemic preparedness and response as well as on health policy research and practice, Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, and is one of the most popular experts that the media reaches out to for explaining the Covid pandemic and the efforts to control it.

Dr. Jha has taken up the new position at the request of President Biden, a press release from Brown University noted. Jha was born in Pursaulia, Bihar in 1970. He went to Canada when he was 9, and then to the U.S. in 1983. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Columbia University and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School.

In a series of tweets, Jha noted, “On a personal note – For a poor immigrant kid who left India not speaking a word of English And found in America a nation willing to embrace me as one of her own I am deeply honored for this chance to serve this country I love And grateful to a President for the opportunity.”

Always a cautious voice on numerous media outlets where he was interviewed over the last two years, Jha Tweeted after his White House appointment, “So, as they say… Some news – For all the progress we’ve made in this pandemic (and there is a lot) We still have important work to do to protect Americans’ lives and wellbeing So when @POTUS asked me to serve, I was honored to have the opportunity.”

Jha also warned, “We are not done We are very likely to see more surges of infections We may see more variants We can’t predict everything with certainty But we have to prepare to protect the American people whatever Mother Nature throws at us.”

In succeeding Zients, Jha will lead the response of the entire U.S. government to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also advancing the nation’s global health priorities and policies.

“For all the progress we’ve made in this pandemic (and there is a lot). We still have important work to do to protect Americans’ lives and well being. So when @POTUS asked me to serve, I was honoured to have the opportunity,” Jha said in a tweet.

He will be joining Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta, and Center for Medicare Director Meena Seshamani at the higher echelons of US health care system.

Jha succeeds Jeff Zients, who is leaving the White House after 14 months during which two variants, Delta and Omicron, fueled a surge in Covid cases that the US struggled to contain. Zients leaves office with 65 per cent of Americans having received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine and nearly 77 per cent have been fully vaccinated with the seven-day average of infections plummeting from 806,851 in mid-January to 30,570 in mid-March.

Jha came to Brown from Harvard, where he was the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and the dean for Global Strategy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He had also served as the co-chair of the Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola, which examined the failure of the international community’s response to the disease.

Even while he was heading the Brown University’s School of Public Health, he continued to practice medicine at a hospital for ex-military members. During the Covid pandemic, he made frequent appearances on TV, wrote op-eds for leading newspapers and was often quoted by reporters.

The medical news website, STAT, called him “network TV’s everyman expert on Covid” with the qualities of a “telegenic phenom” and a “great communicator”. Zients was a businessman and a bureaucrat, unlike Jha who is a doctor.

The changeover to a doctor marks an inflexion point in the pandemic where the logistics of mass vaccination and testing are in place and the future task is to monitor and prepare for new variations or other developments.

Rev. Thomas J. Netto Consecrated As Archbishop Of Trivandrum Latin Archdiocese

March 20, 2022March 30, 2022 Ajay GhoshCulture, Profile, Religion 0

Rev. Fr. Thomas J. Netto, born on December 29th, 1964 was installed as the Archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum during a solemn episcopal ordination ceremony, attended by tens of thousands of devotees, religious, community, and political leaders at St Sebastian’s Church Grounds, Chreuvettukadu, Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala on Saturday, March 19^th, 2022.

Archbishop Netto, 58, is the second Archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram. Addressing the attendees at the conclusion of the ceremony, Archbishop Netto said the responsibility bestowed upon him was challenging but one he accepted with utmost humility.

Known among his priest friends and the larger Catholic community in Kerala, the state with the maximum number of Christians in the country, having as many as 20% of the state’s population being Christian, the newly consecrated Archbishop Netto is known for his simplicity, goodness at heart, down to earth approach and cordial relationship with one and all.

Archbishop Thomas J Netto was appointed as the archbishop of Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram during the Holy Mass at St Joseph’s Cathedral at Palayam over two months ago. He is known for his oratory and writing skills and had a key role in the publication of diocesan mouthpiece Jeevanum Velichavum.

The nearly four hours long liturgical and felicitation ceremony began with a reception accorded to the Archbishop-designate who was led to the venue in the accompaniment of nearly 20 Metropolitans representing various dioceses and denominations and several clergy members. M. Soosa Pakiam, the Apostolic Administrator of the Thiruvananthapuram Archbishop, was the chief celebrant for the episcopal ordination. He presented the episcopal ring along with the staff and miter to the newly-ordained Archbishop.

Both the Latin and the Malayalam translation of the Papal order appointing Msgr. Netto as the Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram was read out at the ceremony that was attended by Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Vatican’s Apostolic Envoy to India. In his message, the Vatican ecclesiastical diplomat said he viewed Kerala to be known for its religious places of worship, Carnatic music that combines both Indian and Dravidian culture, the Periyar river that is its ‘lifeline’ and its highest literacy level in the country, among other unique features.

The archbishop was anointed with the oil of sacred chrism, ring placed on his finger, the miter on his head, and given the pastoral staff. Thereafter, the ‘Laying on of Hands’ ceremony was held followed by the Prayer of Ordination. Earlier, the installation commenced with the Archdiocesan Chancellor Monsignor C. Joseph making the customary request to ordain Monsignor Netto. The co-celebrants included Varappuzha Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil and Neyyattinkara Bishop Vincent Samuel.

Delivering the benediction, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, called upon the new Archbishop to lead the coastal population from the front for their rights and betterment. The benefactors of such efforts must not be the parishioners alone, but the entire community in the region. He also recounted the selfless deeds of the fisher-folks in rescuing those stranded in the floods of 2018.

Elected representatives from the Kerala state, including Transport Minister Antony Raju, Shashi Tharoor, MP, Kadakampally Surendran, M. Vincent, several MLAs, were among those who turned up to witness the ceremony.

The new archbishop was appointed, after the retiring Archbishop Soosapakiam, who turned 75 last March, 2021, had submitted his resignation as per the Canon Law. His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Most Rev. Maria Callist Soosa Pakiam (75) on February 2nd, 2022. Archbishop Pakiam, who was born on March 11^th, 1946 at Marthandumthurai, Tamilnadu was ordained a priest on December 20^th, 1969. At the age of 43, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Trivandrum Diocese and ordained Bishop on February 2nd, 1990. He was succeeded Bishop of Trivandrum on January 31^st, 1991 at the age of 44. When the Trivandrum diocese was elevated as the Archdiocese on June 17, 2004 he became the first Metropolitan Archbishop and was installed as the Archbishop of Trivandrum on August 23^rd, 2004.

Rev. Fr. Thomas J. Netto was born to Jessayan Netto and Isabella Netto on December 29, 1964.An alumnus of St. Xavier’s College, Thumba, he attended the St. Vincent’s Minor Seminary at Palayam. After attending St. Vincent’s Minor Seminary in Trivandrum (1980-1983), he studied Philosophy at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Carmelgiri, followed by Theology at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Mangalapuzha, Alwaye. Archbishop Netto holds a M. A. Degree in Sociology from the University of Kerala and, in 1999, he obtained a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology (Ecclesiology) from the Pontificia Università Urbaniana.

During his long pastoral ministry, serving the Church, Archbishop Netto has held the following offices: He was the parish vicar in Peringamala (1990-1991) and of the Cathedral of Palayam (1991-1995) and executive secretary for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue (1994-1995). He then served as parish priest in Pettah (1999-2003), and executive secretary for the Basic Christian Communities (2000-2004) and rector of Saint Vincent’s Minor Seminary in Trivandrum (2003-2010).

Since 2007, he has served as a member of the College of Consultors, director of the Board for Clergy and Religious Life (2008-2010), chargé at Saint Anthony’s Forane Church in Valiayathura (2009-2010), parish priest in Thope, coordinator (2010-2014) and episcopal vicar of Ministers (2014-2018). From 2018 to the present, he served as parish priest of Saint Augustine’s Church, Murukumpuzha, vicar forane of Kazhakkuttom and editor of the diocesan journal Jeevanum Velichavum.

Christianity claims its presence in Kerala since the 1st century itself. Its inception was supposed to be by 52 AD with the arrival of St. Thomas, the Apostle, in this land. However, Christianity in the Latin archdiocese of Trivandrum dates back to the time of the arrival of the Portuguese in India and perhaps earlier. With the arrival of the Portuguese but especially with the advent of the pioneer missionary, St Francis Xavier, Christianity spread far and wide in these parts with the result that by the close of the sixteenth century there were well-established Christian communities along the Trivandrum coast.

The saintly Bishop Benziger who became coadjutor Bishop of Quilon in 1900 and Bishop in 1905 was the apostle who propagated Christianity in the Diocese through the fragrance of his saintly life, wise leadership and unceasing assistance to his missionary priests. In 1931 when he retired to the Carmel Hill Monastery, Trivandrum, there were Christian communities established in almost all places of the interior region .As early as 1919, Bishop Benziger recommended the establishment of the Diocese of Trivandrum, but it materialized only after his retirement.

The diocese of Trivandrum was established by His Holiness Pope Pius XI on July 1, 1937 through the Bull “In Ora Malabarica” with the four taluks of Neyyantinkara, Nedumangad, Trivandrum and Chirayinkeezh bifurcated from the diocese of Quilon.

The Diocese is bounded on the north by the Diocese of Quilon, on the east by the Ghats, on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the south by the Dioceses of Kottar and Kuzhithurai. The Archdiocese of Trivandrum is one of the largest dioceses of Kerala, having a Catholic population of over 250,000 Catholics, with a majority of the 90 percent of the faithful belonging to the traditional fishing community, who are among the lowest ranks of the ladder of the social strata in India, but are rich in faith and customs/traditions.

In the year 2004 Pope John Paul II was pleased to elevate Trivandrum diocese as an Archdiocese with Alappuzha, Kollam, Punalur and Neyyatinkara as its suffragent dioceses. Bishop Soosa Pakiam was elevated as the first Archbishop of this ecclesiastical region.

The Archdiocese celebrated its platinum jubilee in 2012, marking the entry into the adult age of diocesan activities. A new diocese of Neyyattinkara was bifurcated from Trivandrum on June 14th, 1996 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II through the Apostolic Bull ‘Ad Aptius Provehendum.’ Trivandrum was raised to the status of Archdiocese on June 17^th, 2004 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. The archdiocese now comprises of a large part of the Trivandrum district and a section of the costal parishes in the district of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

Previous Ordinaries, who had led the strong Latin Catholic community of Trivandrum archdiocese were: Archbishop Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam (31 Jan 1991 Succeeded – 2 Feb 2022 Retired); Archbishop Jacob Acharuparambil OFM Cap (1979-1991); Archbishop Peter Bernard Pereira (1966-1978); and, Bishop Vincent Dereira OCD (1937-1966). On February 2^nd, 2016 Rev. Fr. Christudas Rajappan was appointed as the auxiliary bishop of the diocese and will continue to serve as the auxiliary bishop under the dynamic and talented leadership of the newly ordained Archbishop Thomas J. Netto.

Priya, 28-Year-Old, Sworn In As Chennai’s Youngest Mayor

March 12, 2022March 22, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

Priya Rajan, a Dalit woman, has become the youngest mayor of Chennai (formerly Madras), the fourth-largest city in India with a population of around 10 million.

Rajan, 28, a postgraduate in commerce, was sworn in on March 4 as the 49th mayor of the city.

Welcoming the appointment, Father Vincent Chinnadurai, the former spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, said it was a remarkable moment for Dalit women.

“We appreciate the state government for this bold move. I am sure more women will feel inspired by Priya Rajan,” he added.

Chennai, the state capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, is a hub for education, health, information technology and automobile industries.

Considered the second-oldest city council in the world after London, the Greater Chennai Corporation was formed in 1668 by the erstwhile East India Company, which founded it in 1640 as a trading post.

It is an important milestone in Tamil Nadu’s political history that a Dalit woman is being placed as mayor of this big city. It is a sign of empowerment of a marginalized community

The state’s ruling DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or Dravidian Progressive Front) under the leadership of Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, 68, won a landslide victory in the polls held on Feb. 19 after a gap of 11 years.

Rajan, a member of DMK, is also the third woman to hold this prestigious post and joins 10 women across the state who have been elected as mayors and chairpersons in various small cities and towns.

Capuchin Father Kulandai Swamy told UCA News: “It is an important milestone in Tamil Nadu’s political history that a Dalit woman is being placed as mayor of this big city. It is a sign of empowerment of a marginalized community.”

Father Swamy, a known social activist, said Rajan’s appointment “will blunt the [pro-Hindu] BJP’s communal propaganda in Tamil Nadu as it shows the willingness of Dravidian parties to uplift the Dalits.”

According to the modern Panchayat Raj system, the local body administrative system followed in India since 1992, the head of a city or town or village council is elected from among the elected members.

In Tamil Nadu, half the posts of heads of city corporations and town municipalities are reserved for women and other marginalized sections of society.

The post of Chennai mayor was reserved for a woman belonging to the Dalit (formerly untouchable) caste.

Empowering Dalits will not only improve their social stature but also reduce the atrocities perpetrated on them to a certain extent

Savukku Shankar, a political critic, told UCA News that “reserving the Chennai mayor’s post for a Dalit woman is a very important decision as regards empowerment of the marginalized.”

In the absence of a reservation policy, known as India’s affirmative action program, a Dalit becoming the elected head of a major city would have remained a dream only, Shankar said.

“Empowering Dalits will not only improve their social stature but also reduce the atrocities perpetrated on them to a certain extent. Such an affirmative action will go a long way in bringing Dalits to the mainstream,” he added.

According to the national census figures for 2021, Dalits make up 25 percent of India’s approximately 1.3 billion people. It is said that nearly 70 percent of Indian Christians come from Dalit castes.

Huma Abedin Steps Out, Brings Her Memoir To Abu Dhabi

March 12, 2022March 12, 2022 Aya BatrawyProfile, Women 0

There’s no easy way to tell Huma Abedin’s story. So, she’s telling it herself, bringing her voice to an international stage in the United Arab Emirates and speaking about her recently published memoir.

For more than two decades, Abedin has been the ever-loyal aide to Hillary Clinton, starting as a young intern to the First Lady in 1996 and rising to become her advisor and trusted confidante as Clinton became senator, secretary of state and, ultimately, the Democratic presidential nominee.

“I was kind of the invisible staff person behind the primary person. And I liked it,” Abedin told The Associated Press during a visit to Abu Dhabi on Monday. “I loved the work and decided after a while that a lot of other people were telling my story and I would choose to reclaim that history myself. And if I didn’t write it, somebody else would.”

For someone content to play the supporting act, she appears comfortable now stepping out into the spotlight with her memoir titled: “Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds”, even if it means confronting the judgement and shame she’s faced over her marriage to former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, whose confiscated laptop roiled Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Abedin’s professional and personal life collided in 2016 when Weiner’s contact with a 15-year-old girl prompted the FBI to open an investigation because emails Clinton had sent to Abedin were found on a laptop federal agents had seized from him. He was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison over his messages to the young girl. Following his release, he is now planning to host a weekly radio show.

To tell her own story, Abedin, 46, penned a memoir just under 500 pages long. Or, as she puts it: “I vomited on paper. All of my feelings, all of my emotions, all of the ‘Why did she stay? Why did she go? Did she change the outcome of the 2016 election?’”

One review of her book in the Guardian describes reading about her courtship to Weiner, who was her first love, as “watching a horror film and screaming at the heroine not to go into the haunted house, while knowing that, of course, she will.”

Abedin, though, is quick to point out that her life has also been filled with extraordinary moments and privilege.

“I was never the smartest, prettiest, best in anything. I knew one thing, though. When I walked into the White House in 1996, I was prepared to outwork anybody and hard work got me to where I am,” she said.

Born in the United States, Abedin moved to Saudi Arabia with her Indian father and Pakistani mother as a toddler and lived there until college, visiting the U.S. during summer breaks. That experience and background made her a “novelty” in Washington’s political circles, she said.

Her Muslim faith and family were what she leaned on the most during her darkest days. “My parents very much, you know, taught us what our identity was and that was number one, you’re an American, number two, you’re a Muslim — and everything else is background music,” she said. “As long as you had that grounding, as long as you had that place where you knew you could draw strength, where you knew you had a strong family to support you, everything was going to be OK.”

Abedin’s interview with the AP came after she took the stage for the the inaugural Forbes 30/50 Summit. Donning an emerald-colored dress, her raven hair flowing in soft curls, her presence drew young female admirers and requests for selfies and photos.

All the while, she kept a watchful eye over her 10-year-old son with her on the trip, letting him know she would be nearby for another interview.

“When Anthony was in prison for almost two years, and I really was a single parent and did not have (my son’s) father around, I have to tell you, it was really, really hard,” she said. “I mean, there were days where I wasn’t even sure I’d get through the day.”

Abedin lost her father at a young age to illness and wants her son to grow up knowing his. She said it took hard work to get to a place where both she and Weiner are present in their son’s life, despite their separation since 2016.

“Even though his father and I are not together and will not be together, we will be in each other’s lives forever and we had to figure out how to work together,” she said.

Abedin remains Clinton’s chief of staff, a role that keeps her busy. “We are partners in crime — in adventures that is,” Abedin says oft her relationship with Clinton. Abedin is currently working on a show for Apple TV+ based on Clinton’s book with daughter, Chelsea, called “The Book of Gutsy Women”.

Abedin and Clinton shared a stage last year for the first time at a 92nd Street Y event, with Clinton supporting Abedin as she talked about her book, which is full of praise and admiration for her boss. Clinton said the FBI investigation during the final weeks of her campaign impacted the outcome of the election, which Donald Trump won. She said she felt angry and bewildered by the FBI probe, but never considered firing Abedin, despite people urging her to.

“Everybody supporting me knew this was a particularly damaging event, but why would I fire Huma? So, of course I didn’t. And wouldn’t, at all,” Clinton said.

Abedin, too, told the AP she remains unflinchingly loyal to Clinton.

“I’m lucky, you know, she’s a friend and mentor, a boss, and she’s always been there for me, and I’m always going to be there for her,” Abedin said.

Alia Bhatt Makes Global Debut With Gal Gadot: Joins Netflix’s Heart Of Stone

March 12, 2022 Staff ReporterEntertainment, Profile 0

Alia Bhatt is set to join the cast of Netflix’s Heart of Stone as she makes her global debut opposite Gal Gadot. Bhatt is already one of the biggest movie stars in India, having won four Filmfare awards. Her recent Gangubai Kathiawadi directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali secured the third biggest opening in 2022 and the biggest non-holiday opening for a Hindi film since the start of the pandemic. The film will release globally on Netflix this spring, and has received great reviews singling out her performance in the title-role, besides nearing the 100 crore mark in India—here second film as protagonist (after Raazi in 2018) to do so.

Her 2019 film Gully Boy, directed by Zoya Akhtar, premiered at that year’s Berlin Film Festival (and so did Gangubai Kathiawadi this year) and has become an international hit, grossing over $25M worldwide to date. The film is available to stream now on Amazon Prime and was India’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2020 Oscars.

Recognizing her international appeal (including over 60M followers on Instagram), the Academy inducted her into its 2020 class.

Alia will be joining Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan in the Hollywood movie produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger with Mockingbird’s Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. Gadot will also be producing with her husband ,Jaron Varsano through their production company, Pilot.

Alia, who made her debut in Student of the Year (2012), has streaked ahead of her contemporaries Shraddha Kapoor (debut in 2010), Sonakshi Sinha (2010), Parineeti Chopra (2011), Taapsee Pannu (2013) and Kriti Sanon (2014). The younger daughter of Mahesh Bhatt, with actress Soni Razdan as her mother, Alia has also given bravura performances in Highway, Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi, besides being a part of hits like 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Raazi, in which her performances too were standout.

In Hindi films, she will be soon seen in RRR, Brahmastra (her first with beau Ranbir Kapoor), Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, and her own maiden production, Darlings. She is said to be making a new film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali as well.

She now joins the ranks of Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico on TV and Baywatch—The Movie +) and Deepika Padukone (xXx: The Return of Xander Cage) in making the cut in Hollywood. The sign ‘+’ indicates more than one film abroad.

Other Indian actresses who made the international cut:

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (The Last Legion +)

Aparna Sen (Bombay Talkie)

Deepti Naval (Lion)

Dimple Kapadia (Tenet)

Disha Patani (Kung-Fu Yoga)

Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire +, no film in India despite being Mumbai-born)

Huma Qureshi (Army of the Dead)

Leela Naidu (Man of the World in 1962 on TV +, followed by The Householder +)

Mallika Sherawat (Hisss +)

Mrunal Thakur (Love Sonia)

Nitu Chandra (Never Back Down: Revolt)

Persis Khambata (Kama Sutra in 1969 +)

Richa Chadha (Word with Gods +)

Shabana Azmi (Madame Sousatzka +)

Tabu (The Namesake +)

Dr. Satheesh Kathula, AAPI’s Loyal Foot Soldier Committed To Strengthen AAPI

March 12, 2022March 12, 2022 Parveen ChopraProfile 0

Dr. Satheesh Kathula, the eminent doctor of over 25 years’ standing in Ohio, admirable community leader and philanthropist with a stellar record of serving in leadership roles in AAPI, is running to be its Vice President in the election this month.

Dr Kathula, hematologist/oncologist, is currently Secretary and past Treasurer of National AAPI. He is well-liked by the rank and file of AAPI as evidenced by the number of endorsements he has received.

He has clearly laid out his vision for AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) on his campaign website:

Promote AAPI’s mission of education, excellence in patient care, research, and professionalism.
Increase membership of AAPI and enhance membership benefits. Engage the younger generation more.
Collaborate with major physician organizations in the US.
Fast-tracking of green cards for Indian doctors on H1 visa.
Leverage the strength of 100,000 Indian American doctors at the legislative level.

Dr Kathula calls himself humbly a loyal foot soldier of AAPI, but the fact is he has been Member of its Governing body for the past 13 years and has intensive experience of working for it at senior levels, including as Co Chair – Global Health Summit 2019 and 2022, AAPI’s Board of Trustees (2014-17) and as Regional Director (2012-14).

As AAPI Treasurer last year, he is proud to report that he played a key role in raising and distributing over $5.5 million for Covid relief in India. He is also Chair of Adopt a Village Committee, for a program launched last year to adopt 75 villages in India for free health screening of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, anemia, hypoxemia and malnutrition.

Since Dr Kathula, a suave, affable personality, announced his candidacy for Vice President of AAPI, endorsements for him have been coming fast and furious. Listing his creditable work for AAPI, his various accomplishments and accolades, Dr Deepak Kumar, Past President Ohio State Medical Association, and Immediate Past chair IMG section of American Medical Association (IMA) writes: “I am voting for him in the upcoming election and urge all of you to join me in voting for him.”

Dr Dattatteyudu Nori, a renowned radiation oncologist and Padma Shri awardee, writes, “I have worked with him on several oncology related projects including at Global Health Summit in India, community outreach programs in the US, etc. He is very efficient, knowledgeable, and is an excellent leader. He would make a great Vice President of AAPI.”

Past AAPI President Dr Sanku Rao has endorsed him for President. “Please remember, this is not only an election for Vice President but for President of AAPI! Satheesh has an excellent reputation in the organization and all the qualities to become one of the best presidents of AAPI!”

Dr Kathula has excelled in leadership roles in the medical field locally in Ohio as well. He has lived in Dayton for 26 years straight. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Dayton chapter) and has raised more than $200,000 for it thus far. The society conferred on him the Man of the Year award in 2018. He is also President and Founding Member of the Association of Indian Physicians from Ohio.

Active in the Indian community, he was instrumental in raising funds for the construction of the Om Shanti Hindu Cultural Center in Dayton. He has served on several non-profit boards, dedicating half of his career. He is a regular contributor to Veterans Obesity Awareness walks and Ekal Vidyalaya, which is dedicated to children’s education in rural India. The India Club of Dayton presented him the Service Award in 2010.

Dr Kathula’s love for his motherland has manifested in him setting up humanitarian and medical projects in India. The most important of them is establishing in 2007 a state-of-the-art pharmacy college in Warangal in Telangana, where he grew up. Named Pathfinder Institute of Pharmacy and Educational Research (PIPER), the non-profit with Dr Kathula as Chairman provides quality education and has already graduated about 750 students who are now working in different parts of India and the world.

He also collected funds for one lakh masks and distributed them in India during the Covid pandemic and has organized several medical camps there. He personally donated a clean drinking water plant and defibrillator (that restores normal heartbeat through an electric pulse) to his native village in Telangana. He also donated thousands of sanitary napkins to underprivileged young women in India. He usually raises funds for charitable causes through music concerts and golf tournaments, like the one he organized with cricket legend Kapil Dev.

A good doctor has to be also an educator to pass on his knowledge, skills and experience to the next generation of physicians, something Dr Kathula is acutely aware of. He is Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Neurology at Wright State University in Dayton. He has been involved in teaching/mentoring medical students, residents and fellows for two decades. He has presented CME (Continuing medical education) lectures at national and international conferences and published articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Kathula came to the US in 1994 after earning his MBBS degree from Siddhartha Medical College in Vijayawada, India. Here he did his residency from Wright State University, Dayton. He is a Partner physician, Dayton Physicians, LLC.

Shane Warne: Cricket Legend From Australia Dies At 52

March 6, 2022 Staff ReporterCricket, Profile 0

Legendary Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne, one of the greatest cricketers of all time, has died of a suspected heart attack aged 52.

Warne took 708 Test wickets, the second most of all time, in 145 matches across a stellar 15-year international career.

He had been found unresponsive in his villa on the Thai island of Koh Samui on Friday, said his management company.

“It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack,” it added.

“Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived.

“The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.”

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Warne’s family will be offered a state funeral for him.

Warne helped Australia win the 1999 50-over World Cup and claimed 293 dismissals in 194 one-day internationals between 1993 and 2005.

In 2000, he was named one of the five Wisden cricketers of the century, alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Sir Viv Richards.

He retired from international cricket in 2007 following Australia’s 5-0 Ashes clean sweep of England at home.

Warne also retired from first-class and List A cricket later that year, ending a seven-year spell with Hampshire, who he had captained since 2004.

He continued to play Twenty20 franchise cricket until retiring from all formats in 2013.

Warne worked regularly as a commentator and pundit, as well as holding coaching roles at T20 franchises.

He is survived by his three children with former wife Simone Callahan.

His death comes on the same day as legendary former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who died aged 74 of a heart attack, and was announced shortly after the close of play on day one of Australia’s first Test in Pakistan.

Warne’s mastery of leg-spin – a style of bowling that declined during the 1970s and 1980s when fast bowlers dominated – revolutionised cricket.

His magnificent control and canny variations bewildered even the greatest batters of his generation.

Only Sri Lankan off-spinning great Muttiah Muralitharan, with 800 dismissals, has taken more Test wickets than Warne.

He was also a fine slip fielder and capable lower-order batter, scoring 3,154 runs at an average of 17.32 and is the only batter in Test history to surpass 3,000 runs without making a century – falling for 99 twice, against New Zealand in 2001 and against England in 2005.

Warne was a larger-than-life figure whose fame transcended cricket and his sense of fun inspired successive generations of fans.

“Shane was a once-in-a-century cricketer and his achievements will stand for all time,” said Australia men’s Test captain Pat Cummins.

“So many of us in the playing group grew up idolising him and fell in love with this great sport as a result.”

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley added: “Shane was one of the most talented and charismatic cricketers we have ever witnessed.

“He loved cricket, had an extraordinarily astute understanding of the game and his influence and legacy will last for as long as it is played.

“We are in a state of complete shock at his sudden passing and our thoughts are with his family, his many friends and the legion of fans from all over the world who loved and admired Warnie for his unbelievable bowling skills, his humour, warmth and engaging personality.”

Ashes dominance

Warne holds the record for the most Ashes wickets in history, with 195 dismissals in 36 Tests.

He made his Test debut against India in 1992 after only seven first-class matches for his native Victoria, but announced himself on the world stage in astonishing style in the 1993 Ashes in England.

With his first ball of the series, Warne bowled England batter Mike Gatting with a stunning delivery that pitched outside leg stump and clipped the top of off stump.

It became widely known as the ‘ball of the century’.

That was the first of six Ashes victories in a row involving Warne, until the run was ended by England’s famous 2-1 win in 2005, despite the leg-spinner taking a staggering 40 wickets in that series.

Warne gained revenge in 2006-07 when Australia won 5-0 and retired on the same day as long-time team-mates Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer.

World Cup and domestic honors

Warne was a key part of Australia’s run to the 1996 World Cup final, where they were beaten by Sri Lanka.

He became vice-captain under Steve Waugh and starred in the 1999 World Cup triumph, being named man of the match after taking 4-33 in the final against Pakistan.

However, he was sent home the day before the 2003 tournament started after testing positive for a banned diuretic and served a one-year ban from the sport.

Australia would go on to win the 2003 World Cup by beating India.

Warne led Australia 11 times in ODIs but never captained the Test team, with batter Ricky Ponting replacing Waugh.

Warne captained Hampshire for four seasons during a spell with the county from 2000 to 2007, and they named a stand after him at their Ageas Bowl ground in 2012.

Under Warne, Hampshire won the one-day Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in 2005 – although he was unable to play in the Lord’s final which was in the middle of the 2005 Ashes – and narrowly missed out on a County Championship title the same year.

He played his entire domestic career in Australia for Victoria.

He also played for Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, also coaching the latter.

In last year’s inaugural Hundred he coached London Spirit.

‘One of cricket’s great characters’

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew

Shane Warne wasn’t just one of the greatest spin bowlers in the game’s history – he was also one of cricket’s great characters.

His partnership with seamer Glenn McGrath made Australia virtually invincible in the 1990s.

In terms of a wrist-spinner’s repertoire, Warne perfected the art completely, spinning the ball vast distances and always with a touch of theatre.

He took that character with him into the commentary box and beyond cricket. He featured regularly on the world poker circuit, and while brushes with the authorities were also a feature of his life, his contribution to cricket will never be forgotten.

‘He was the greatest showman’ – tributes flood in for Warne

Former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss: “I’m utterly shocked and saddened. Shane Warne was cricket’s greatest star and he was a guy who, I suppose, you felt the rules of life didn’t apply to him. To hear about his untimely demise is genuinely shocking and I know the whole cricket world is in a great deal of mourning.”

Strauss added: “He was the greatest showman. There were other great cricketers when you look at their records would potentially equal Shane’s or maybe better it. But there was no greater star in cricket than Shane Warne, certainly in the time I have been around. You felt every time you were on the pitch against him it was his show. You were just a small part of his show.

“He used that to his advantage in terms of getting you out. He had such charisma and such passion for the game that it was infectious. If you were lucky enough to spend time with him off the pitch it was always a privilege. A man of great generosity of spirit, great passion for the game and a man who is going to be sorely missed.”

England captain Joe Root: “Really shocked and really sad to hear such a legend of the game passed so suddenly.

“We had just started the game and it filtered through the dressing room. It’s been quite a quiet dressing room off the back of it. It’s hit everyone quite hard if I’m being brutally honest.

“My experiences of Shane were of someone who absolutely loved the game of cricket. He was always a joy to be around, he gave so much energy to the sport. As a kid growing up he was a massive idol of mine and someone you wanted to emulate. The way he could win a game on his own, his skill levels were incredible.

“I’d have been 14 when the 2005 Ashes was on, in many ways that series was a massive influence on my career.”

Former England captain Mike Gatting: “It’s been devastating really, unbelievable. When you think he’s just 52 and he’s been an absolute legend in the game. I don’t use that word lightly either. It’s been unreal. We’ve lost a great cricketer and a great guy.

“The figures talk for themselves but he was inspirational to many, many young children. Certainly if you look at county cricket now, where he played himself for Hampshire.

“He inspired a lot of kids to take up spin bowling. The way he approached the game, he was knowledgeable, he loved the game. He was dedicated to the game but he also had a bit of fun as well.”

Rajeshwar Prasad At 90, Continuing To Dedicate His Life For Larger Humanity

March 5, 2022 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Born on March 1,1932 in a small village, Chhainsa, in Haryana Province (formerly Punjab), I completed my primary education, I moved to Delhi in 1941 for higher education. I stayed with my uncle, aunt and their two children, in Old Delhi. Went to Hira Lal Jain Higher Secondary School. My expenses of education and living etc. were borne by my father as my uncle, the only bread winner, was a mill laborer and he could not afford extra expenses. After high school in 1948. I moved to another place in Delhi where I was joined by my elder brother Brahameshwar Dayal (BD) who had just completed his high school and was not interested in higher education.

He had lost two years because of an accident and stayed home. We lived in one room, next to Hindu College, with no facilities. We used public rest rooms, public hydrant, basically, using that room (12×15 square feet) as kitchen, living room, bedroom and everything. After one year, we pleaded to our parents that we would like to move to a better place. We moved to an independent 2-bedroom section in a house on the same street where I had lived with my uncle during my high school. My mother joined us in that house.

I completed my Honors and Master’s in Economics from Delhi University. Our eldest brother, Rameshwar Dayal, (RD) completed his B.Com. from Uttar Pradesh and joined us. To cut it short, my eldest brother got married, my mother moved back to the village. BD got a job in Defense Ministry and move, to Uttar Pradesh and then to Chandigarh and permanently settled there. I also got married and decided to move to another place. All these movements were for convenience and out of necessity. We were a very cohesive family.

I got a part time job at the Delhi School of Economics which was doing a social-economic survey of Greater Delhi. It gave me an opportunity of contacting about 500 families. The questionnaire was very detailed and had about 100 questions and sub-questions. It normally took an hour to fill it out. Many a time I had to make two trips to fill out the questionnaire. I came across all kinds of people, people living in huts, government quarters, and gazetted officers (such as IAS) . It gave me an opportunity to see almost all different parts of Delhi. I did it for about two years till 1956. I was paid on the number of successful contacts I made half a dollar per questionnaire (one dollar was equal to five rupees).

Then Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, got in contact with a Social Welfare Agency called Bharat Sewak Samaj (BSS) of Delhi province to conduct a survey of slums of Old Delhi. I was hired to take responsibility of the field work. Eighteen field workers were hired, and I was given the supervisory responsibility. The survey was financially supported by Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. We hired 18 field investigators to conduct the survey. After the survey was completed, it was published in a book: SLUMS OF OLD DELHI, published by Atma Ram a& Sons.

In 1955. the Ford Foundation provided financial support to start a pilot project in Urban Community Development (UCD). It was headed by Mr. Chatterjee, as Director, who had been in touch with Ford Foundation Consultant, Dr. Marshall Clinard. UCD worked in collaboration with BSS, Mr. Chatterjee asked Mr. Brij Krishan Chandiwala, BSS Convener, that he would like to hire me as a Research Associate. And he asked his opinion also about my work ethics etc. The offices of UCD and BSS were just a block apart in New Delhi.

I joined UCD in 1956. My first task was to prepare profile of various communities in Delhi. By virtue of my experience with Delhi School of Economics and Bharat Sewak Samaj this was not new to me. I went back to some of the same communities and prepared profiles. The profile included the physical location, demographics, social, economic status of people living there, transportation etc. Mr. Chatterjee and Marshal Clinard selected six sites out of about 30 profiles.

Each selected area was different and that provided a very diversified group for the pilot project. UCD hired 12 professional staff persons for these six places (6 men and 6 women). Minimum education of each one was to be Master or equivalent in Social Work. The second UCD pilot project was started in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I was asked to spend about a week there to get the staff oriented to the UCD concept.

Since the UCD office was in Connaught Place, almost all those who worked for the survey of slums of Delhi remained in touch with one another. During evening they all (about ten) used to meet in Cannaught Place and sit on the lawn as we had no office. I was always there and led the group. We always thought of doing something productive as all of us were fully employed.

One day, a person, named Major Ramchandran asked me to see him. I did not know him at all, but he was a key person in the Central (National) Bharat Sewak Samaj, located in the same barracks. He lived a very simple life. Later on, I learnt that he had played a pivotal role during the partition of India and settlement of refugees. Next Day I met him in July,1968. He told me that he would like to send me to Paris, France.

That was the most surprising news I had ever heard. He explained that there is an International Institute in Paris which gets people from developing and underdeveloped countries, and that he sends one professional from India every year to that Institute. Name of the Institute is IRFED. I did not know how to respond. He further said that he had seen me many times sitting on the grass with large group and noticed that I had always been playing a leading role in that group. He gave me about a week to respond. I did not know where to start.

I had a good job in Delhi and how can I leave my wife and two children behind. Youngest one, Mini, was not born at that time; she was born in January 1969.). I talked to my family and one or two friends, and they all encouraged me not to miss this opportunity. My parents-in-law were also encouraging, and they told me not to worry about the family. Finally, I told Major Ramchandran that I was ready. I arranged two year leave from my office. Later on I extended my leave without pay for one more year

For four months I learnt French which was not helpful at all when I landed in Paris. The French school was also located in the same barracks. By virtue of my contacts with BSS it was easy for me to go through passport, Visa process without any problem. as one of the volunteers who used to come to BSS regularly, was Principal Secretary to one Union Minister (names not identified). He helped me to complete all these formalities without me even going to French Embassy. After I left for Paris, almost for one year my office paid my salary to my wife.

I left for France on October 15, 1968, with 40 francs in my pocket. I called the Institute from the Paris airport and was advised to take a taxi. The taxi cost me 37 francs, and I entered the Institute with 3 francs in my pocket. The Secretary there said. “You are 15 days late, but I will give you full month scholarship of 500 francs.” She also helped me to settle down. I met one person (French) in the Institute who had gone on the same program to India under which I came from India. We became instant friends and he helped me a lot.

My French was no good and I realized I have to learn French conversation classes. Within two weeks I enrolled myself to learn French conversation at night for five days a week. It helped me but still I was unable to understand lectures. Besides the class I had to undertake an individual project as well as a group (5 students) project. In both, I did exceedingly well (almost A+). My individual project was Development of Chandigarh in India; and my group project was Impact of migration on Sending and Receiving Countries.

From Paris, encouraged by some Americans with whom I used to meet almost every day at the breakfast time, I decided to come to USA. I got admission in a school and got F1 visa. Prem Nagpal, a close family friend at that time was already in USA studying at Columbia University. She managed for my stay in a neighborhood settlement house on 70^th Street, in Manhattan. She had talked to the President that I would be coming and if she could help in some way.

I met the President next day and she offered me a job: “You have to stay in your room over the weekend and if there is a telephone call, you receive it. There was only one telephone located just outside my room. For that your board and lodge would be free. This job gave me an opportunity to study also.

With the help of a professor who had come to India and visited me and Prem at Urban Community Development Office, I got admission in Columbia University and then in Hunter College I did my Master in Urban Planning with specialization in health planning. He helped me to have my tuition waived (though he never told me), The college placed me as an Intern at the New York State Health Planning Commission in Manhattan which paid me enough to stay comfortably and support my family in India. In October 1971 I got a job in Long Island and moved from Manhattan to Suffolk County where I had been hired by Regional Medical Program (RMP) in Centereach as a Planning Associate.

I commuted from Manhattan for about three months (October 71 to January 72) to Centereach. Lucky coincidence, the Administrative Assistant at RMP, used to drive every day to RMP from Manhattan. She was kind to help me commute with her. Then I rented a house in Centereach, and my family joined me on January 15, 1972. The RMP helped me and my family to get green card, with the help of an attorney. In 1974, I was selected as Executive Director of RMP when the former executive director (Dr. Glen Hastings) and the Associate Director (Harrison Owen) moved to Florida Medical School, and the Veterans Administration in Washington DC respectively.

There were 70 candidates for the position of Executive Director from all over the country. Dr. Lawrence Sherr, Chief of Medicine at North Shore University Hospital, was the chairman of the Search Committee. He was also the Chair of the Board of Directors of Regional Medical Program. There were 53 RMPs in the United States all funded by the Federal Government through HEW.(Heath, Education and Welfare Department)..

With the political changes in Washington, the RMPs discontinued all over the Country. With the closure of the RMP I tool sometime to explore various options. I knew very well that I will have no difficulty in finding a job. However, I also felt that being head of an agency funded by Federal Government there are so many strings attached. Finally, I changed my career 180 degrees and bought an Indian Retail Store in Port Jefferson, NY on the harbor of Long Island Sound. its name was ADCO, but I changed it to ADCO Fashion Boutique and besides imports of Indian clothes I added from Indonesia and other countries.

Then I took it to a higher level and got high fashion dresses from a prestigious wholesaler in California, those dresses were sold for about $600.00 each whereas Indian dresses sold for $50.00 or so. After running the international boutique for about 15 years, I decided to retire. I closed the business; and I donated all my merchandise to Charity organizations, including Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. During my working period I was very much involved with The United Way of Long Island for about fifteen years as well as with the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission also for about 15 years (both voluntary positions). My work was commended very much by both these organizations. In March,1975 my wife passed away of leukemia and that was the toughest time as my youngest daughter was only six years. Luckily, our neighbors were so kind, particularly one family across our house.

Their older daughter was the same age as Mini’s and they became good friends. It was still tough, and my mother-in-law wrote to Prem Nagpal if she can get married to me. It was not easy for her as she had led an independent life for about 47 years. All my children knew her very well; and she used to visit us in Long Island most of the weekends, as she lived in Manhattan and worked also there ai the Harlem Medical Center as Social Work Supervisor, Finally, we got married in late 1975. She got into poetry and paintings as her hobby. Her one poem was selected by World Poetry Society in California and requested her to come and read it in CA. we both went there and m it was some event we had never seen. There were film stars and many distinguished people.

Around 2004-05, my wife was suspected to have Alzheimer’s which was later ruled out. However, she started signs of weakness, forgetfulness and it was not possible to leave her home alone. With the help from various agencies in home care and other areas we were able to carry on for about five years or so. My wife and I knew about Shantiniketan (SN) in Tavares, Florida. Around the same time My oldest daughter Monica and her husband, Madan Gupta, were in Orlando related to their business. On my request they visited SN.

They advised us to move to SN. It was not an easy decision after living in Long Island for about 50 years. We visited SN three times before we moved in 2014 permanently. I was indirectly involved with the concept of SN by virtue of my voluntary work with the National Indio-American Association for Senior Citizens Inc. (NIAASC) initiated in 1998.This new organization was set up as a nonprofit 501C3 entity with a limited objective to help Indian American Seniors through information, referral and advocacy. Its office is at the Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center in Elmont, New York. NIAASC has been able to expand considerably.

I was the founder president and currently Chairman of NIAASC. NIAASC is headed by Ms. Gunjan Rastogi, a very energetic, talented and committed community leader. She has been its President since January 2021. NIAASC operates through a Board pf Directors and its mission is limited to serve Indian American seniors through information, referral and advocacy services.

Bappi Lahiri, India’s ‘Disco-King’ Dies At 69

February 22, 2022March 6, 2022 Staff ReporterCinema, Profile 0

Veteran singer-composer credited with popularizing disco music in India passed away in Mumbai city on Wednesday, February 16^th. India’s first “Disco-King,” Alokesh alias Bappi Lahiri, 69, – nephew of the legendary trio of late Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Anoop Kumar, breathed his last at the Criticare Hospital, Juhu in Mumbai, said the hospital Director Dr. Deepak Namjoshi.

“He had been admitted to the hospital for a month and was discharged on Monday. But his health deteriorated on Tuesday and his family called for a doctor to visit their home, after which he was brought to the hospital,” said Dr Joshi. He suffered from several health complications and died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) last night, the medico added.

He had several collaborations with international stars, including English model and singer Samantha Fox in the 1995 Hindi film Rock Dancer and with Snoop Dogg on Punjabi song Patiala Peg in 2015.

Lahiri – who attained fame as India’s first ‘Disco King’ – is survived by his wife, Chitrani, daughter Rema and a son Bappa, who has taken to his dad’s musical career. In a statement later, the Lahiri family said: “It’s a deeply sad moment for us. We are seeking love and blessings for his soul.”

Born in West Bengal, Lahiri’s first composition was for a Bengali film, ‘Daadu’ (1972), followed by a Bollywood film ‘Nanha Shikari’ (1973).

He arrived’ on the musical scene in a crescendo with ‘Zakhmee’ (1975) for which he composed music and also sang, pushing him to upper echelons at a very young age of barely 22.

During his career, he directed top legends like Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, his ‘Mama’ Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosale, Usha Uthup and many more to create waves with soulful, racy, vibrant and rhythmic music. He composed music for dozens of movies featuring top actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Mithun Chakraborty.

With the rise of hip-hop and break-dance culture in the latter half of the 80s, Lahiri took up the challenge and experimented with electro sounds on I Am a Break Dancer (Pyaar Karke Dekho), Break Dance (Kahan Hai Kanoon) and I Am a Street Dancer (Ilzaam), among others. Mithun Chakraborty and Govinda, two mega-stars in Bollywood known for their dance moves, became synonymous with Bappi’s compositions and vice versa. Govinda wrote on Instagram after Lahiri’s death that he would not have become a star without his music.

Lahiri created musical tsunamis with his compositions in ‘Chalte, Chalte’ (1976), ‘Suraksha’ with the pacy ‘Gunmaster G9’ becoming as popular as 007, and “Lahu Ke Do Rang” (both 1979).

Then followed ‘Manokaamna’ (1980) with several lilting numbers, ‘Wardat’ (1981), the raging music of “Disco Dancer” that had the nation dancing to his tunes with ‘Jimmy Jimmy, Aaja Aaja’, and ‘Namak Halal’ (both, 1982), the foot-tapping ‘Himmatwala’ (1983), ‘Sharaabi’ (1984) with the unforgettable ‘Log Kehte Hain, Main Sharaabi Hoon’, “Adventures of Tarzan” (1985) in which Kimi Katkar cavorted onscreen crooning ‘Tarzan, O My Tarzan’, ‘Dance Dance’ (1987).

Other films for which he composed memorable songs include ‘Commando’ (1988), ‘Prem Pratigya’ and ‘Guru’ (both, 1989). In 1990, he took the industry by storm with superhit music for ‘Naakabandi’ like the ever-green ‘Naakabandi-Naakabandi’ sung by Usha Uthup and Bappi himself, ‘Ghayal’, ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’, ‘Thanedaar’, ‘Sailaab’.

Later came films like ‘Dushman Devta’, ‘Sau Crore’, ‘First Love Letter’ (all, 1991), ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’, ‘Zindagi Ek Jua’, ‘Police Aur Mujrim’, ‘Geet’, ‘Tauheen’ (all, 1992), ‘Dalaal’, ‘Aankhen’, ‘Amaanat’ (1994), ‘Rock Dancer’ (1995), ‘Hum Sab Chor Hai’ (1996), ‘Benaam’ (1999), ‘Justice Chowdhary’ (2000), joint compositions for ‘Chandni Chowk To China’ (2008), ‘Baaghi 3’ (2020).

Lahiri also composed extensively for regional films in Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil. Besides, he also composed English songs, and flirted with politics briefly with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Condolences poured in from top politicians and Bollywood celebrities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that Lahiri’s music was “all-encompassing, beautifully expressing diverse emotions” and that “people across generations could relate to his works. His lively nature will be missed by everyone. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” Modi added.

Top leaders, including President Ram Nath Kovind, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, BJP’s Leaders of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and Pravin Darekar, and others condoled the passing of Lahiri.

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman tweeted his condolences and called Lahiri the “Disco King of Hindi cinema”. Leading Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar said Lahiri’s voice “was the reason for millions to dance, including me. Thank you for all the happiness you brought through your music,” he wrote on Twitter.

From the film industry, actors Vidya Balan, Shakti Kapoor, Roopali Ganguly, Deb Mukherjee, singers Udit Narayan, Shaan, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Mika Singh, producer Bhushan Kumar, filmmaker KC Bokadia, who had worked with the composer in his 1990 Amitabh Bachchan starrer “Aaj Ka Arjun”, attended the cremation.

Fondly called ‘Bappi Da’ by his fans and friends from the industry, the 69-year-old was credited for revolutionising the disco sound for Hindi film music landscape in the 70s and 80s and continued to churn out hits in a career spanning five decades.

Lahiri’s output was prolific and in 1986 he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for recording more than 180 songs for 33 films. It’s no surprise that, as the man whose soundtracks gave Indian cinema a youthful injection throughout the 80s and 90s, Lahiri had a sense of style as loud as his music. Over the years, Lahiri had crafted the image of a pop icon aided by his trademark gold chains that he wore for luck, his sunglasses.

A New Phase For AIR INDIA Begins As Tata Group Appoints Former Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker Ayci As New Air India MD And CEO

February 22, 2022March 6, 2022 Staff ReporterBusiness, Profile, Travel 0

The Tata Group has appointed Ilker Ayci — former Turkish Airlines Chairman — as Air India’s Managing Director and CEO effective on or before April 1. The development is in line with the Tata Group’s plans to appoint an expatriate chief to run the airline it took over from the Indian government last month.

The Air India board met on Monday last week to consider the candidature of Ayci, with Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran as a special invitee, and approved his appointment, Tata Sons said in a statement. Ayci’s appointment is subject to requisite regulatory approvals.

The announcement also comes a day after Air India asked its cabin crew to wear minimal jewellery to avoid delays at security checks and not to visit duty-free shops after clearing the immigration process as part of the airline’s efforts to improve its on-time performance.

Commenting on the appointment, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said, “Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there. We are delighted to welcome Ilker to the Tata Group where he would lead Air India into the new era.”

Ilker Ayci was chairman of Turkish Airlines since 2015, and his resignation from the post was announced by the airline on January 27 this year — the same day Tatas were handed over Air India by the Centre.

During his professional career, Ayci has been an advisor to the then Mayor of Istanbul Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, where he took part in a number of development projects in Turkey’s largest city. Erdoğan is currently the President of Turkey.

Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. He is 1994 alumni of Bilkent University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration, according to the Tata Group statement. After a research stay on political science at the Leeds University in the UK in 1995, he completed an International Relations Master’s program at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

“Tata Group made the winning bid at ₹18,000 crore to bag the airline in October last year. Of this, ₹15,300 crore is in the form of debt, while the remaining ₹2,700 crore is in cash. The cash consideration has been paid to the government.

The airline is run by Tata Sons’ wholly-owned subsidiary Talace. Out of its total debt of ₹61,562 crore, ₹46,262 crore has been transferred to Air India Assets Holding Ltd (AIAHL), a special purpose vehicle formed by the government in 2019 for holding debt and non-core assets of Air India.

Founded by Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata in 1932, the aviation division of Tata Sons was listed as Air India in 1946, and it began flights to Europe in 1948 under the banner of Air India International. The airline was nationalised in 1953 by the nation’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Air India has a fleet of 117 wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, and AIXL a fleet of 24 narrow-body aircraft. A significant number of these are owned by the company. More than two-third of Air India’s consolidated revenues comes from the international market.

Madhavan B Nair Elected Chairman Of World Hindu Parliament

February 22, 2022 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Madhavan B Nair has been elected as the chairman of the World Hindu Parliament which opens at the Kerala Hindus of North America (KHNA) Convention in 2023. The organizers said that Jagadguru Swami Satyananda Saraswati’s dream of creating a world Hindu Parliament was being realized by its starting out at the KHNA convention. Madhavan B Nair was unanimously elected to the chairmanship of the World Hindu Parliament by the governing council headed by G K Pillai.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati’s desire to create a World Hindu Parliament aimed at unifying Hindu societies across the globe and to give them a new sense of direction was being realized at the convention, said the organizers.

Madhavan B Nair is well known in the Malayalee diaspora as a leading social, cultural, charity activist and entrepreneur. Madhavan B Nair, also popularly known as MBN is an entrepreneur who is always on the move and actively engaged especially when it comes to serving the community. He is a Chartered Financial Consultant by profession based in New Jersey, USA. He is the founder and President of MBN Insurance and Financial Services Inc.

Madhavan B Nair was born and raised in Neyyattinkara, located to the south of capital city Trivandrum of Kerala State. He is from Thalakulam Kunnakode family and born to Rajyasree Bhaskara Pillai and Rugmini Amma. His father Rajyasree Bhaskara Pillai was a freedom fighter, Editor and Publisher of Rajyasree Newspaper during that period. He completed his Primary, Middle and Higher Secondary schooling from Government School, Neyyattinkara; St. Mary’s School, Pattom and Government High School, Kattathurai respectively.

From his childhood, Madhavan B Nair has been creative, curious and adventurous. Growing up, he found a way to turn these virtues into a thriving career. He started his career in late teens joining the Indian Air Force as a Combatant when he was a college sophomore. Besides serving Air Force, he completed his graduation both in Law and Management from the University of Poona. He left Air Force to begin his career as a lawyer. He was a Resource person for the Department of Commerce & Management, Kerala University for almost a decade until he moved to USA. He moved up in the ladder through furthering his education and developed his personality holistically.

He was fortunate to experience wide variety of life situations and challenges. He earned Cochin Stock Exchange professional membership and started Share Broking and Portfolio management in the name of Grand Jury Invest and Finance Ltd. It was doing wonderful. In fact, the Harshad Mehta Scam has compelled him to change the profession to education. The stock market was not modernized then. This has directed him to go to the USA for business exploration. Here again with his full exposure in the financial market he was compelled to accept a beautiful offer from MetLife to explore the Asian Indian Market. He earned ChFC designation from American College of Insurance and Financial Services, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. As a chartered financial consultant, he performed well and excelled to top 1% of the industry.

Madhavan B Nair is known for his skill on financial optimization using insurance to recover loss opportunity cost. He uses financial models to reduce the risk and maximizing the returns in a predictable and measurable way using insurance concepts.. He and his team successfully served the community as on date along with active participation in the community activities.

He is actively involved in socio-cultural activities locally, nationally and internationally. His services has been acknowledged and appreciated by various entities. He was the President of FOKANA during the period 2018-2020. FOKANA is a premier umbrella association, formed in 1984, consist of more than 60 Kerala Associations from the whole of USA and Canada. FOKANA touches almost half a million Malayalee families. During the period of 2018-2020 Kerala faced Hurricane and flood catastrophe. Under his presidentship FOKANA did a commendable service during and after the catastrophe. He was instrumental for rebuild Kerala and life mission initiatives like Bhavanam project along with Bhavanam foundation of Kerala representing FOKANA. During this time his service was greatly recognized by national and international entities.

He founded NAMAM in 2010. It is one of the vibrant associations in North America. He also formed MBN Foundation in the year 2017 as a philanthropic organization with the objective of promoting skills to bring the best within students and also promote early awareness to prevent breast cancer. It is committed to the benefit of the community at large. He actively contributed and contributing his service in various capacities in various organizations. He can be reached madhavanbnair@yahoo.com or 732 333 3952.

AAHOA Mourns The Passing Of Jayanti P. (JP) Rama

February 22, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Tourism 0

AAHOA Chair Vinay Patel issued the following statement on the passing of one of AAHOA’s Past Chairs, Jayanti P. (JP) Rama: “America’s hotel owners are heartbroken to learn about the passing of an AAHOA icon, Jayanti P. (JP) Rama. JP is the brother of AAHOA Founder HP Rama and past AAHOA Chairman MP Rama.

During his tenure at the helm of AAHOA, JP focused on building the association’s membership through awareness campaigns, Town Hall meetings, and educational seminars, with sessions held throughout the country. He was known for being a staunch supporter of young people getting involved in AAHOA and the industry.

As vice chairman of the board of Auro Hotels, based in Greenville, S.C., JP focused on operations, purchasing, and design and interiors for acquisitions and new developments. Prior to Auro Hotels, JP was founding principal and vice chairman of the board for JHM Hotels, which was one of the nation’s largest hotel owner/operators. In 2017, the JHM Hotels’ name was retired and four new companies were launched to continue the family’s legacy.

The Rama family has given back generously in India by building a school, a water purification plant, and 200 homes for the underprivileged in their native village of Sarona. They also have contributed to the design and development of a children’s park and an eye hospital in the region.

In America, they endowed “The Rama Scholarship for the American Dream” with a gift of $1,000,000 which provides tuition assistance to college students attending hospitality school.

The family’s commitment to education continues in India, where Auro Hotels built and operates Auro University in Surat, a private university that is now known as one of the top MBA colleges in India.

While AAHOA is deeply saddened by this news, we know that his memory and contributions to this association and beyond will forever be a blessing.

We thank JP for his significant contributions to our industry and the lasting impact he’ll have on the many lives he’s touched throughout his life. We are thinking of JP’s family, friends, and everyone who loved him during this difficult time.”

Rohit Sharma Is Country’s “Number 1 Cricketer:” Chetan Sharma Says

February 22, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Sports 0

After naming Rohit Sharma as the Test captain for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, Chetan Sharma, Team India chief selector, said on Friday that the right-handed batter is the “number one cricketer” in the country.

After naming Rohit Sharma as the Test captain for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, Chetan Sharma, the Chairman of All-India Senior-Selection Committee on Friday said that the right-handed batter is the number one cricketer in the country. Rohit Sharma was appointed as the new Test captain of the Indian men’s team while veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from the Sri Lanka series. “As far as Rohit Sharma is concerned, he is the number one cricketer of our country, he is playing all three formats of the game. The important thing is how we manage Rohit, cricketers manage their bodies. From time to time we will be in discussion with Rohit. If such a big cricketer is leading the country, we as selection committee want to groom further captains, and grooming them under Rohit will be tremendous,” said Chetan Sharma during a virtual press conference.

“It is hard to predict what problems can arise in the future, Rohit is fit and fine right now. We will give rest to every cricketer of ours, we want to give them proper rest. A body requires rest, we will see how things pan out and we will decide how will be getting the rest,” he added.

Further talking about Rohit being named Test captain, Chetan said: “Rohit was a clear choice of ours, we are very happy with naming him as captain. We will groom future captains under him, let’s hope everything goes right and if things pan out how we want them to, it will be really good.”

“If Rohit keeps leading for a long time, then it would be really good for us. But no one can predict it, as long as Rohit is available and fit, he will be the Test captain. When he wants to rest, we will give him the rest,” he added.

Washington Sundar and KL Rahul are ruled out of Sri Lanka T20 and Test series unless they recover early, said Chetan Sharma, Chairman, All India Senior-Selection Committee. Ravichandran Ashwin is subject to fitness as well. Axar Patel is still recovering in rehab and might get fit by 2nd Test match said, Chetan Sharma.

Earlier this week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a new schedule for India’s upcoming home series against Sri Lanka. The tour was supposed to start with the two-match Test, but now will begin with T20Is, with the first match being played at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on February 24. The second and third T20Is will take place in Dharamsala on February 26 and 27.

Following the T20I series, the teams will play two Tests, which form a part of the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Mohali will host the first Test from March 4 to 8, while the second Test will be played in Bengaluru from March 12 to 16. The first Test will be former captain Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match, while the second Test will be a day/night affair.

India’s Test squad for SL series:Rohit Sharma (C), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin (fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep, Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Sourabh Kumar.

Dignity In A Digital Age: Making Tech Work For All Of Us

February 22, 2022February 22, 2022 Ro KhannaProfile, Technology 0

Digital technology has transformed virtually every aspect of human existence. We have online education, telemedicine, remote work, and e-commerce. Many of us spend hours a day online either communicating with other people, reading or watching media, or engaging in digital transactions. Yet there are several problems we must confront as we make this transition to a digital world.

Technology has divided us, fueled misinformation and disinformation, and accentuated inequality. Although digital tools make our lives easier and more convenient in many respects, they also challenge our privacy, security, and personal dignity. All those developments raise interesting questions about the future of technology and how we mitigate various problems.

To discuss these challenges, Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents the Silicon Valley area, in his new book, offers a revolutionary roadmap to facing America’s digital divide, offering greater economic prosperity to all. In Khanna’s vision, “just as people can move to technology, technology can move to people. People need not be compelled to move from one place to another to reap the benefits offered by technological progress” (from the foreword by Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics).

In the digital age, unequal access to technology and the revenue it creates is one of the most pressing issues facing the United States. There is an economic gulf between those who have struck gold in the tech industry and those left behind by the digital revolution; a geographic divide between those in the coastal tech industry and those in the heartland whose jobs have been automated; and existing inequalities in technological access—students without computers, rural workers with spotty WiFi, and plenty of workers without the luxury to work from home.

Dignity in the Digital Age tackles these challenges head-on and imagines how the digital economy can create opportunities for people all across the country without uprooting them. Congressman Ro Khanna of Silicon Valley offers a vision for democratizing digital innovation to build economically vibrant and inclusive communities. Instead of being subject to tech’s reshaping of our economy, Representative Khanna argues that we must channel those powerful forces toward creating a more healthy, equal, and democratic society.

Born into an immigrant family, Khanna understands how economic opportunity can change the course of a person’s life. Anchored by an approach Khanna refers to as “progressive capitalism,” he shows how democratizing access to tech can strengthen every sector of economy and culture. By expanding technological jobs nationwide through public and private partnerships, we can close the wealth gap in America and begin to repair the fractured, distrusting relationships that have plagued our country for far too long.

Moving deftly between storytelling, policy, and some of the country’s greatest thinkers in political philosophy and economics, Khanna presents a bold vision we can’t afford to ignore. Dignity in a Digital Age is a roadmap to how we can seek dignity for every American in an era in which technology shapes every aspect of our lives.

Lata Mangeshkar, ‘Nightingale Of India’ Dies At 92

February 9, 2022February 22, 2022 Staff ReporterCinema, Profile 0

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who died in Mumbai at the age of 92, was an Indian cultural icon and national treasure who made her name in Bollywood – despite only actually appearing on screen in a handful of films.

Lata Mangeshkar, who died on Sunday, February 6th after weeks of hospitalization, was cremated with full state honors at Mumbai’s iconic Shivaji Park bringing an end to a splendid and decorated career spanning seven decades. Just before the last rites, the national flag in which the body was draped, was handed over to the family members. Lata Mangeshkar’s brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar lit the funeral pyre of the singing legend.

A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, Lata Mangeshkar was an icon of Indian cinema, having sung playback for an extensive list of Hindi films.

The classically-trained star rose to fame in India’s booming film industry as a “playback singer”, providing the singing voice to Bollywood’s lip-synching movie stars over the course of a career which spanned more than half a century.

For decades, the “nightingale of India” was the country’s most in-demand singer, with every top actress wanting her to sing their songs. Her records, meanwhile, sold in the tens of thousands, and she boasted a back catalog of thousands of songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.

But she was also much more than her voice. Mangeshkar was a passionate cricket fan and had a love for cars and the slot machines of Vegas. She also rubbed shoulders with some of Bollywood’s brightest stars – and at least one Beatle.

Mangeshkar, or Lata Didi, as she was fondly called, came from a household that worshipped music. Her father Dinanath Mangeshkar was a towering personality in Marathi theatre. He acted, produced and sang songs in plays that would change the face of Marathi theatre. He was one of the foremost exponents of Natya Sangeet and an accomplished Hindustani classical singer. His mother Yesubai, an accomplished singer from the devadasi community, was one of Portuguese India’s (now Goa) most famous temple singers and dancers.

Born in September 1929, Lata was the first among her siblings – sisters Meena, Asha (Bhosle), and Usha, and brother Hridaynath – that ruled over Marathi and Hindi film music for decades. She was initially named Hema, but her father changed it to Lata after a character in one of his plays.

Their ancestral family name was Hardikar, but their paternal grandfather Ganesh Bhatt Hardikar was given the honor of performing the abhishek (ritual bathing of the deity) at Mangeshi temple in Goa, and they took on the family name Abhisheki. The late Hindustani classical maestro and scholar Jitendra Abhisheki is from the same family and a cousin of the Mangeshkar siblings. Later, Dinanath would adopt his last name from the temple, and call himself Mangeshkar. The name stuck.

Though Lata had started singing in movies by the age of 13 in 1942, it was her breakthrough performance in Majboor in 1948 that catapulted her into mainstream Hindi films. Her mentor was music director Ghulam Haider, who, the story goes, was so angry when producer Sashadhar Mukherjee rejected Mangeshkar’s voice for being “too thin” thundered to him that he would one day fall at Lata’s feet and beg her to sing in his movies.

Mangeshkar confirmed this incident in film historian Raju Bhartan’s biography on her. On several occasions, she credited Haider as her mentor. “He was the first music director who showed complete faith in my talent,” she said in 2013.

After Majboor’s success in 1948, she would achieve greater fame the next year when she sang the haunting “Aayega aanewala” in the runaway hit Mahal, whose music director Khemchand Prakash was later credited with mainstreaming another talent – Kishore Kumar. With Aayega aanewala, Mangeshkar had truly arrived, and was seen to have stepped out of the shadow of another film singing legend, Noor Jehan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Shivaji Park to pay his last respects to the singer and met the Mangeshkar family members and consoled them. He left the venue before the funeral.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister tweeted saying he is “anguished beyond words”. “The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people,” he said in a tweet.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said she remained the “most beloved voice of India for many decades” and added that her immortal golden voice will continue to echo in the hearts of her fans.

Lata Mangeshkar was cremated with full state honors

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, lyricist Javed Akhtar, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, among others, were also in attendance to pay their last respects.

One of the famous episodes of her life is when her music moved Jawaharlal Nehru to tears. On January 27, 1963 during the backdrop of the India-China war, Lata Mangeshkar sang Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon in the presence of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, bringing him to tears.

Subcontinent leaders, including Pakistan’s Imran Khan, sent their tributes to the legendary singer.

“With the death of Lata Mangeshkar the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known. Listening to her songs has given so much pleasure to so many people all over the world,” Imran Khan tweeted.

Lata Mangeshkar’s death has created a “great void in the subcontinent’s musical arena”, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said as she recalled ‘the empress of music’ with gratitude for her role in the Liberation War of 1971 against Pakistan.

Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari recalled the contribution of “genius” Lata Mangeshkar to Nepali songs as she paid her tribute to the singer.

“I am saddened by the news of the demise of famous Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has also lent her melodious voice to many Nepalese songs,” Ms Bhandari tweeted in Nepali language.

Lata Mangeshkar, who belonged to a prominent musical family, also composed music as well as produced a handful of films. She was popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India.’

In her melodious voice, Lata Mangeshkar had sung over 50,000 songs in 14 languages since her radio debut in 1941.

The central government has announced a two-day “state mourning” on the death of the legendary singer. The national flag will fly at half mast from February 6 to February 7 throughout India and there will be no official entertainment in this period.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal Works Towards Changing the Uneven Impact of Climate Change

February 4, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

The research showing how climate change-related events disproportionately affect vulnerable communities is staggering. From New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to New York City after Superstorm Sandy, extreme weather events tend to hit minority communities hardest. A 2019 study found that Black Americans living in communities hit by disasters over the study period lost nearly $20,000 in wealth—whereas their white counterparts gained more than $126,000 as investment flowed and communities rebuilt.

New legislation unveiled Tuesday last week by Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal aims to turn that grim reality on its head with a slate of initiatives designed not only to mitigate the damage caused by climate-related disasters to vulnerable communities but also to turn the wave of investment that comes after a disaster into a bright spot for them.

“One of the things we really want to fix is how the resources get distributed: who gets the jobs, how do we make sure that those jobs are well paid, and that it becomes an opportunity to—wait for it—build back better in those communities,” says Jayapal.

Jayapal’s legislation, which draws on consultation with a range of environmental groups, contains a laundry list of policies with that aim in mind. The bill would establish a grant program for states, local governments and nonprofits to create jobs in “climate resilience” with a requirement that the recipients commit to employing a diverse workforce. These jobs include things like preemptive climate resilience work—think of retrofitting and restoration that helps soften the blow of a major disaster—as well as jobs that follow the storm, like clean up and debris removal. These industries already exist in some parts of the country, but worker protections are uneven. The bill’s text say that this grant program could create one million jobs annually that provide for worker safety and benefits.

The legislation would also provide funding for local governments to come up with their own resilience plans—and require them to address the disparate challenges faced by the most vulnerable communities. A new Office of Climate Resilience at the White House would serve as a hub for the federal government’s coordination with vulnerable communities.

Jayapal unveiled the bill Tuesday morning with 30 progressive Democrats as co-sponsors, but, with provisions like a loosening of immigration rules for climate resilience workers, it faces a tough road to pass as written in the politically divided Congress. Even so, Jayapal says elements of the 131-page bill can shape discussions on a range of other active policy discussions. The proposal could, for example, inform how Congress structures a Civilian Climate Corps, a proposed federal program to put Americans to work on climate projects that already was included in the climate and social spending bill that passed the House of Representatives in the fall. Other elements could help support the Biden Administration’s Justice40 initiative, which requires 40% of the benefits of federal climate investment to benefit disadvantaged communities. “This is actually laying out a vision,” she says.

That vision leaves much of the details to states, cities and communities—and that’s sort of the point. Activists have spent years calling on government to pay closer attention to environmental justice issues while also demanding solutions that empower local leaders.

Beyond the substance of the bill, the legislation would also deliver some political benefits, helping people connect the hundreds of billions of dollars that the Biden Administration hopes to spend on climate measures to the everyday lives of key constituents.

“If people feel like they’re never being considered, that frontline communities are never being considered, or that fossil fuel workers are never being considered, their lives and livelihoods are not being considered, we will lose them politically,” says Jayapal. “They will either go to another party, depending on where they are or they just won’t come out and vote.”

US Embassy Greets Jaffrey, Nadella And Pichai For Padma Awards

February 3, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Technology 0

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who were recently named for Padma Bhushan, responded to the development with utmost gratitude. While Nadella stated that it was an honour to receive the award, Pichai stated that he was humbled by it.

Both Nadella and Pichai were announced as the recipients of India’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, on the eve of Republic Day. Both the CEOs were named under the Trade and Industry category.

Nadella took to Twitter to convey his gratitude for the honour.
“It’s an honor to receive a Padma Bhushan Award and to be recognised with so many extraordinary people. I’m thankful to the President, Prime Minister, and people of India, and look forward to continuing to work with people across India to help them use technology to achieve more,” Nadella said in his tweet.

On the other hand, a report in MoneyControl stated that Pichai had issued a statement saying, “I am deeply grateful to the Padma Awards Committee, the President and Prime Minister, as well as the people of India for this honour. It’s made all the more meaningful to be among this esteemed group of individuals who have each had a profound impact on their fields and communities, and I am humbled to receive this award alongside them.”
Although Pichai had not tweeted about the awards, he was seen liking congratulatory tweets.

Following the announcement, Indian Embassy in the US had congratulated both Nadella and Pichai along with culinary expert Madhur Jaffrey, another recipient of the prestigious award.

In 2014, Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as CEO of the Seattle-headquartered giant. He took charge at Microsoft at a time when the personal computer-focused company was struggling to make the shift to a world of mobile-led computing and was steeped in corporate culture that accorded primacy to internal competitiveness.

Pichai began his career as a materials engineer. After a short stint at the consulting firm McKinsey & Co, he joined Google in 2004. On August 10, 2015, he was selected as the next CEO of Google after previously being appointed Product Chief by CEO Larry Page.

Queen Elizabeth II – Queen of Unique Qualities

February 3, 2022 Dr. Mathew JoysProfile, Women 0

No doubt, across the Commonwealth countries or the English speaking world, the only one person known and honored as “the Queen” is Queen Elizabeth II of United Kingdom. She is remarkably a great personality of numerous specialities, February 8th, on this day in 1952 Elizabeth II was proclaimed “The Queen” of Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-ruling British monarch during 2015, when she surpassed the ruling of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. She is also the first monarch to celebrated the Sapphire Jubilee, which marks 65 Years of throne, and now on great 70 years, by this February 8th.

Surprisingly the Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t use and old alarm clock. Instead Her Majesty wakes up every morning by hearing the bagpiper, playing outside of her window for 15 minutes daily morning at 9 am.

Though Indians fought against British rulers by Quit India Movement, and chased them out, we cannot forget the good things they did in India; and no doubt still we respect the Queen for the highest official position she holds.

The Queen undergone homeschooling by Britain’s best tutors. She mastered constitutional history and law as preparation for her future role, and took lessons in religion from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

She has so many special privileges, and she doesn’t need a driver’s license, a license plate, or a passport, which makes her position unique. In other words, since all British Passpirts are issued in the name of the Queen, she herself doesn’t need or have one. And the Queen also doesn’t require a driver’s license to drive or a license plate on her car.

You might wonder to note that the Queen gets about 200-300 letters every day. She reads a few by herself and then has staff members respond.

She was the First Lady of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member. She had the privilege of learning and speaking French from French and Belgian governesses at a young age.

Another thing is about her celebrating her birthday twice. On April 21, 1926, she was born but has two recognized birthdays. The first is the actual anniversary of the day she was born (April 21) and another day as her “official” birthday, when the weather is better, for the Trooping the Colour parade. The tradition was started in 1748 with King George II.

To buy the material needed to create her beautiful wedding dress, the Queen spent her rationing coupons and the British government gifted her 200 coupons Her beautiful iconic dress featured a 13-foot-long train with over 10,000 seed pearls imported from the US.

All whales, swans and dolphins in the U.K. waters belong to the Queen since the early twelfth century.The Queen is the owner of an apartment in New York City too. It is reported that in 2015, Her Majesty purchased an $8 million, 3,000-square-foot modern penthouse in United Nations Plaza in New York City.

You wish to hear about Her Majesty’s drinking habits. “Before lunch a gin and Dubonnet, added with a slice of lemon and too much of ice, is her favorite. With lunch, she will take wine and a dry Martini and a glass of champagne in the evening.”

Her purse is not just to keep any money or other belongings, but it is used as a gadget to signal her staff. Just like we hold the smartphone always, the Queen is spotted only with her handbag. It is said that when ishe places her bag on the table, it is an indication that she wants to go within five minutes. If she puts her bag on the floor, it is a negative indication that she’s not enjoying the conversation and wants to be escorted out at the earliest..

In 2004, the Queen hosted a “first ever ladies only event” to celebrate “Women of Achievement” Luncheon at Buckingham Palace. She is patient enough to sit for over 129 portraits during these years of her reign.

Queen Elizabeth II, has a diamond jewelry collection quite as vast, historic and intentionally impressive, as mentioned while she celebrated her 95th birthday in 2021. Her collections include many deeply personal pieces such as the wide diamond bracelet she received from her beloved Prince Philip, who died on April 9.

Even the monarch goes undercover sometimes in public. On a recent low-key trip to Scotland, she met some (ignorant)American tourists while walking. When the tourists asked if she lived locally, she mentioned that she had a house nearby, and when asked if she’d ever met the Queen, she simply pointed at her security and said, “No, but he has!”. Yes, “The Queen” is bold, beautiful and hilarious too!. Long live the Legend- The Queen Elizabeth II!

CEO Rohan Pavuluri Is Fighting For His Nonprofit’s Mission in New York Federal Court

February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 TIME.COMProfile 0

Millions of Americans face consumer debt lawsuits every year and for many low-income families, getting legal advice is limited. A quick Google search can give some generalized information on legal systems, but perusing the internet won’t provide any specific next steps for an individual’s case. Without the cost of a lawyer, the defendant will oftentimes lose their case by default. But giving free legal advice without a law degree in most states, including New York, is considered illegal.

Now Rohan Pavuluri, CEO and co-founder of Upsolve, a tech nonprofit that helps low-income families file for bankruptcy for free, is taking legal action on behalf of his business. Pavuluri, alongside Rev. John Udo-Okon, a minister in the Bronx, filed a lawsuit in federal court in January against the New York state Attorney General Letitia James’ office, arguing that the state’s law prohibiting people who are not lawyers from providing legal advice is unconstitutional and goes against First Amendment rights.

Upsolve, Pavuluri argues, should be able to make legal advice more accessible with a program that vets and trains local volunteers to give users assistance on what to do when sued by a debt collector.

“The way that our system is designed today is a civil rights injustice,” says Pavuluri. “There are so many areas within our civil legal system, including this, where we have modern day literacy tests and poll taxes in the form of complicated legal forms and legal fees that stop people from accessing their rights.”

The suit highlights the cases of Liz Jurado, Christopher Lepre and Tyler Evertsen, who were sued for an epidural medical bill, a loan for an already-returned broken car and for a debt that was never theirs, respectively. All three individuals couldn’t afford the legal fees to challenge it and lost their case, leading to bankruptcy and major financial setbacks.

Pavuluri spoke with TIME about the lawsuit his business is counting on winning.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Why did you start Upsolve, and why did you file this lawsuit?

In so many ways, the legal fees that we make poor people pay are like poll taxes. If you can’t afford to pay the fee, you can’t access your rights. The mission of Upsolve has always been to fight for this new civil rights in America, which is the right to access your rights, regardless of how much money is in your bank account, including those navigating debt collection lawsuits. You need to do that with both simplifying the legal system and empowering people to use technology tools, but also empowering people to access individuals who are in their community and are trained to provide free, safe, accountable, legal advice. Unless you expand the supply of legal helpers (we call them justice advocates) available in America, there’s no way we can have equal rights under the law.

Why would someone want legal advice from a person trained but without a law degree?

The bar to get a legal license is quite expensive. It’s over $100,000 and oftentimes takes three years. You don’t need that legal license to provide the most basic routine legal advice that millions of Americans do need. What our program intends to do is train justice advocates who are not lawyers to provide safe, free, accountable legal advice and that is illegal today. You can go to jail, it’s at least a criminal offense in New York and in other states as well. It’s also illegal to receive free legal advice.

What type of people volunteer?

There are millions of frontline nonprofit staff in America, who are already embedded in communities of need, who better reflect the diversity of the communities in need, who are oftentimes better trusted by the community in need. Clergy members, patient advocates who deal with folks navigating a very complex healthcare system, including medical debt. There are librarians, social workers. They should be empowered to provide free, safe, accountable legal advice, in routine areas of law like debt collection lawsuits.

What problems arise when someone faced with a debt lawsuit can’t afford a lawyer?

Over 90% of people who are sued for their debt whether it’s a hospital, subprime auto lender or a third party debt buyer, don’t get any kind of legal advice and over 70% of the people who are sued, lose automatically without the court considering any of the underlying circumstances. The downstream consequences of losing a debt collection lawsuit unfairly are tragic. They include homelessness, hunger, poverty, wage garnishment and even in some cases, the downstream consequences include jail time because somebody doesn’t show up to a post judgment hearing and then they get an arrest warrant against them. It’s really one of the fundamental civil rights and justices that people lose these lawsuits and then face the financial consequences.

What are some examples of these types of cases you’ve come across?

There are three stories at the center of our case: Liz Jurado, Chris Lepre and Tyler Evertsen. As an example of what happened to them, Liz Jurado received a $12,000 surprise medical bill from her anesthesiologist for a routine epidural, which millions of women received during childbirth every year. And that medical bill drove her into bankruptcy and she was sued for that, she couldn’t defend herself, she lost without the court considering any of the facts from her side. A surprise medical bill should not drive people into bankruptcy. They each shared their stories of not being able to afford a lawyer and not being able to get free legal advice from a professional who is not a lawyer but who is trained to provide their assistance for free. Two of them used Upsolve when they needed to file for bankruptcy. Their stories are really powerful and they illustrate the tragedy of the American legal system which is when you can’t afford a lawyer, you can’t access your rights, and you can’t advance yourself financially.

Are all of these debt collection suits legitimate?

No. That is the problem. A lot of research indicates that Americans are being sued for debts that either they don’t owe or wrong amounts. In the case of Liz, Chris and Tyler, if they had the chance to be heard in court, there is a very good chance that their outcomes would have been different. We have two systems of justice: one for people who can afford it, and one for people who can’t.

Do other states have laws like this?

Every single state has anti-civil rights policies that stop low-income individuals who can’t afford lawyers from getting free, routine, accountable legal advice from trained professionals who aren’t lawyers.

What would a ruling in your favor mean moving forward?

I draw an immense amount of inspiration from folks like Clarence Gideon, who, from a prison in Florida, wrote to the Supreme Court and said, “I believe that each era finds an improvement in law. Each year brings something new for the benefit of mankind. Maybe this will be one of those small steps forward.” What we’re doing here is similar to the challengers in Miranda v. Arizona, where they establish Miranda rights and in Gideon v. Wainwright, which established a right to counsel in criminal cases. Those are two examples of court cases that vindicated constitutional rights and dramatically expanded access to the legal system and civil rights in the United States.

This is an economic, social and racial justice issue when you think about which group of people disproportionately cannot afford legal fees. It’s important to empower professionals who better reflect the diversity of the communities they serve to help those communities access the legal and financial system. This is at its core the American project. This lawsuit is about a very specific issue here, but embedded is a central question about the future of the United States. Do we want to live in a country where low income working class families can access the legal rights they’re supposed to be entitled to and can access equal rights under the law? Or don’t we?

Thích Nhất Hạnh, Zen Master Who Preached Compassion And Nonviolence, Dies

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 Ira RifkinProfile, Religion 0

Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Zen monk and long-time Vietnamese political exile who was a prominent global Buddhist spiritual leader renowned for his advocacy of individual responsibility for such worldly concerns as the environment and nonviolence, has died.

Called Thay, “teacher,” by his followers, he died Saturday (Jan. 22, Vietnam time) in his room, at his temple. He was 95. His death was announced by Plum Village, his organization of monasteries.

He had been in declining health and returned to Vietnam three years ago, expressing a wish to spend his remaining days at his root temple, Tu Hiếu Temple, in Hue.

“I would describe him as the second most famous Buddhist in the world, after the Dalai Lama,” said Donald S. Lopez Jr., a University of Michigan scholar of Buddhism.

China’s occupation of Tibet gave the Himalayan nation outsized geopolitical importance. virtually guaranteeing the Dalai Lama global fame, Lopez explained. Thích Nhất Hạnh “was an obscure monk … (making) his achievements, and his fame, all the more remarkable.”

Melvin MacLeod, editor of the leading Buddhist magazine “Lion’s Roar,” added: “He was thoughtful and wise, yet in person came across as an ordinary person. That in itself is extraordinary when talking about an extraordinary spiritual being and leader.”

(In English, Thích Nhất Hạnh is pronounced “Tik · N’yat · Hawn,” according to his official website. Thay is pronounced “Tay” or “Tie.”)

Thích Nhất Hạnh suffered a massive stroke in 2014 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. In late September 2020, rumors circulated that he was in rapidly declining health and near death; there were even reports he had died.

Top aides countered the rumors but admitted he was notably weaker. In 2018, Thích Nhất Hạnh returned to Tu Hiếu Temple where, at age 16, he had become a novice monk. He called it his “final homecoming.”

He spent 39 years in exile from Vietnam because of his pro-peace advocacy that put him in conflict with the policies of both the Vietnam War’s North and South Vietnam governments. He also criticized United States involvement in the war.

Not until 2005 did the Vietnamese government allow him to return to his homeland for a visit. When he did, he said, “There is no religion, no doctrine higher than brotherhood and sisterhood.”

In exile, Thích Nhất Hạnh established the Plum Village network of monastic centers, the largest of which is in southwest France, near Bordeaux. He spent much of his time there when not traveling the world for lectures, conferences and other public engagements.

Today, Plum Village France is the largest Buddhist retreat center in Europe and home to some 200 monks and nuns. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it also hosted tens of thousands of visitors annually who came for retreats, workshops and other short stays.

Seven other Plum Village centers (not all named Plum Village) are in Germany, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and the United States (in Escondido, California; Batesville, Mississippi; and Pine Bush, New York). Plum Village is reportedly the world’s largest global Buddhist monastic network, according to its website.

Trained in the Vietnamese Thien (Zen) tradition, Thích Nhất Hạnh’s approach to Buddhism was eclectic. He combined several Mahayana, or north Indian-Tibetan schools of Buddhist thought, with elements of Western psychology.

The author of more than 130 books of prose and poetry, 100 or so in English, his approach dovetailed nicely with what is now known in the West as mindfulness — the popular, self help-oriented Buddhist meditation practice that has gained broad mainstream acceptance, from corporate boardrooms to church basements.

“Mindfulness,” he said, “is above all the capacity to simply recognize an object (thought pattern) without taking sides, without judging and without craving or despising that object.”

In 2011, he addressed more than 500 Google workers at the internet giant’s California headquarters. He was invited back in 2013 to lead A Day of Mindfulness, which was attended by more than 700 employees, his official biography notes.

However, he was perhaps best known as a contemporary advocate of the now-widespread activist movement he named Engaged Buddhism.

While credited with coining the term, Thích Nhất Hạnh was quick to note that the concept promoting individual action to create positive social change was traceable to a 13th-century Vietnamese king who abdicated his throne to become a monk.

Historically, for many ethnic Buddhists the religion has traditionally been about gaining personal merit to ensure a favorable rebirth, or reincarnation. Engaged Buddhism, by contrast, seeks to apply meditative insights and other teachings about how to act toward others and the world in ways that reduce social, political, environmental and economic suffering.

“Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on,” Thích Nhất Hạnh said. “Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness we know what to do and what not to do to help.”

For example, a traditional Southeast Asian Buddhist might be inclined to donate money for construction of a village temple to house monks and for ritual functions to gain personal merit. Engaged Buddhism instead might favor contributing to a soup kitchen to feed a hungry general population.

For many contemporary Westerners disenchanted with their birth religions but still steeped in the Abrahamic faiths’ association of “justice” with the social good, Engaged Buddhism was a natural psychological and political fit, lifting its popularity.

Born Nguyen Xuan Bao in central Vietnam in 1926, as a young bhikshu, or monk, in the early 1950s Thích Nhất Hạnh became active in a reform effort to renew Vietnamese Buddhism for a modern age.

He was one of his tradition’s first monks to study a secular subject at a Saigon university. He was also one of the very first monks, according to his official biography, to ride a bicycle publicly — at the time a revolutionary act for a renunciate in his tradition.

When war came to Vietnam, monks and nuns were confronted with deciding whether to adhere to their traditional, strictly contemplative and monastic lifestyle or to help those suffering in the war.

Thích Nhất Hạnh chose to do both, founding the Engaged Buddhism movement, a term he first used in his book, “Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire” (1967). Thomas Merton, the late Roman Catholic monastic, wrote the book’s foreword.

Thích Nhất Hạnh also studied and lectured at Princeton Theological Seminary (1961) and, later, at Columbia University. Over the years, he also led retreats for members of the U.S. Congress and their families and addressed the parliaments of the United Kingdom and India.

Lopez, the Buddhism scholar, said that Thích Nhất Hạnh’s time at Princeton and Columbia in the early 1960s was “crucial” to his activism because it allowed him to experience the civil rights movement firsthand, before returning to Vietnam, “which was bursting into flames,” Lopez wrote in an email exchange with Religion News Service. “His political activism, and Engaged Buddhism, began then,” Lopez wrote.

Thích Nhất Hạnh returned to his homeland in 1963, plunging into the nation’s anti-war movement. He also taught Buddhist psychology at Vạn Hanh Buddhist University in Vietnam.

In 1966 he again traveled to the U.S. to lead a symposium in Vietnamese Buddhism at Cornell University. It was during this visit that he met Merton at his home at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. When the South Vietnamese regime threatened to block his reentry to the country, Merton published an essay of solidarity, “Nhat Hanh is my Brother.”

That same year Thích Nhất Hạnh also met with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and urged him to publicly denounce the Vietnam War, which King later did.

King nominated Thích Nhất Hạnh for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize. In his nomination, King said, “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of (this prize) than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” The Nobel committee did not award a Peace Prize that year.

“Thay was a highly educated modern person,” MacLeod told Religion News Service. “His teachings were very deep and also very wide, and his own life was a great example. He was one of the great spiritual teachers of his time.”

On his 80th birthday, Thích Nhất Hạnh was asked if he might ever retire. He replied: “Teaching is not done by talking alone. It is done by how you live your life. My life is my teaching. My life is my message.”

The Enduring Spiritual Legacy Of Thich Nhat Hanh Dorothy Day And Her Movement’s Pacifist Persuasion Bore A Strong Resemblance To The Pacifism Of Buddhists

January 27, 2022 Staff ReporterCulture, Profile 0

The death of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh on Jan. 22 is a timely reminder of a number of constant historical features since World War II.

His period of greatest visibility and recognition — both in his native Vietnam and through his prominence in the media worldwide as an opponent of the war engulfing his homeland — was in the 1960s and 1970s.

But his significance is not just down to his political views and his international agitation for an end to a fabled war. Many of its proponents believed the future of civilization was in the balance.

Thich Nhat Hanh brought a distinctly Buddhist edge to his campaigning and put that religion at the forefront of his opposition to the war. And what is enduring in the memory of his contributions are the distinctly Buddhist features of his advocacy.

The most enduring feature of his spiritual legacy is his teaching and promotion of the concept of “mindfulness” or fully realized awareness of our engagement with beings beyond ourselves in the present moment.

Mindfulness is the conscious realization of our presence in the world and others and being in the presence of other beings who invite recognition and respect.

Mindfulness underpinned his anti-war advocacy and was part of what brought about his exclusion from Vietnam for 40 years

This legacy was embodied in more than a dozen retreat centers throughout the mostly Western world and in devotees who became, for want of a better word, the “spiritual directors” in the ways of mindfulness.

The mindfulness movement was an explicitly spiritual aspect of the pacifist wave that swept the Western world and occurred to temper or even reverse the local hostilities sponsored as expressions of the Cold War that extended worldwide.

Mindfulness underpinned his anti-war advocacy and was part of what brought about his exclusion from Vietnam for 40 years, ending only with his return to his homeland when he was ill in 2018.

However, while mindfulness as this monk proposed it is completely consistent with the religious tradition he grew up with in Vietnam, there is nothing unique about that concept as understood in Vietnamese Buddhism or its adoption as a practice among Vietnamese Buddhists.

So why did Thich Nhat Hanh’s advocacy of the practice have such purchase around the world? As in many things in life, timing has a big role to play.

The 1960s was a very violent era that lived in the shadow of the nuclear bombs which had such a lethal impact in World War II. Populations worldwide were very aware that at least the Russians and the Americans had their index fingers poised not far from the button to initiate a war that would bring “mutually assured destruction” or MAD.

The monk’s peace advocacy appeared to be a left-wing whitewash of communist aggression which, if seen that way in those ideologically fraught times, could have been its death knell.

And for many right-wing ideologues, it was just that.

But for others, the systematic pacifism had commanding appeal. Among them were many US Catholics including one whose cause for canonization — Dorothy Day — is currently being promoted in New York City.

In the 1980s, the US bishops produced a benchmark statement on world peace and how to find it. And besides the customary and predictable approaches to be found in the Catholic Natural Law tradition, the views and record of behavior of Dorothy Day and her followers in the Catholic Worker movement played a major part in the arguments in the document about how to walk away from a nuclear arms catastrophe.

The pacifist persuasion of Dorothy Day and her movement bore a strong resemblance to the pacifism of Buddhists — in the stubbornly held conviction that violence only begets violence no matter how well intentioned the violent are in their responses to provocation and that absorbing and not reacting to violence is really the only way to break the deathly cycle.

To put it at its simplest, the two traditions recognized they had much to, if not learn, at least find reinforcement from one another about their real beliefs when it came to addressing central questions all humans face.

Buddhists in general and Thich Nhat Hanh in particular are not on their own in drawing on their own tradition in these circumstances

But the benefit of the interaction doesn’t stop there. Thich Nhat Hanh’s impact on the world went well beyond the significant effect he had on approaches to the Vietnam War. His approach to mindfulness became a spiritual starting point of extensive application — to decision making, to human interaction, to attitudes to people and nature among the more obvious.

But again, Buddhists in general and Thich Nhat Hanh in particular are not on their own in drawing on their own tradition in these circumstances.

Since time immemorial, the conscious cultivation of a “recollected” state of mind and heart has been a talisman of Christian devotion ways of becoming more embraced by God’s Spirit in our actions.

Being alive and open to the presence of God and the Spirit is a way we use our faculties and capacities to render our actions a little more engaged with the Spirit than they might be if we don’t make that effort to be open to the promptings of God’s Spirit.

And all of these considerations bring us back to something very basic — not simply that there is hardly anything new under the sun but something much more important: we all have a lot to learn from each other.

Netaji Bose: Attempted Appropriation by Hindu Nationalism

January 27, 2022 Ram PuniyaniNation India, Profile 0

Netaji Sbhashchandra Bose’s birth anniversary was marked by various events this year (January 23). His portrait was unveiled by the President in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was declared that his anniversary will be celebrated as Parakram Divas (Bravery day). Railway Minister announced the renaming of Howrah-Kalka Mail as Netaji Express. Mamta Bannerjee in contrast stated that his anniversary will be celebrated as Dehs Nayak Divas (National Hero Day). Through word of mouth propaganda and the social media BJP and company is spreading the falsehood that Congress did not honor Bose and that Bose supported Hindutva.

All this is happening in the backdrop of forthcoming West Bengal elections where BJP is making all the attempts to win the Assembly elections. In tune with the attempt to pick up the icons by BJP; Subhash Bose is the latest on the line. He is a tall National figure and is greatly revered in WB. So far BJP never talked of putting Netaji in such a way as it is doing currently. The truth that Netaji’s ideology was totally in opposition to the one being pursued by BJP is being hidden under the carpet and strong attempt is underway to show that Netaji had ideology similar to the present ruling dispensation. Netaji was for socialism, democracy and communal amity and the present ruling party is for Hindu nation, is practicing the divisive politics and is undermining democracy through all its action.

As far as his differences with Congress party (INC) are concerned they related more to means to be employed for getting Independence. He was twice President of INC. The difference came up mainly in the wake of Second World War when Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi planned a nationwide agitation; ‘Quit India Movement’. Bose at this point of time wanted to make the British quit by allying with Germany and Japan who were Britain’s enemy countries. The majority of Congress Central committee was with Gandhi’s proposal and leaders like Patel and Nehru totally opposed the strategy proposed by Bose.

Still it was a tactical difference; Congress and Bose both were for getting freedom, while Hindu Mahasabha and RSS supported the British war efforts. Savarkar of Hindu Mahasabha was in the lead to make the British army strong by helping them to recruit Indians into British army. Bose on the contrary formed ‘Azad Hind Fauz’ (Indian National Army, INA ) in Singapore with the aim of countering British army. He continued to be admirer of INC, Gandhi and Nehru; as is evident from the fact that he wrote to Mahatma Gandhi addressing him as Rashtrapita (Father of the nation). He sought Gandhi’s blessings while forming INA and two of INA Brigades were named after Gandhi and Nehru.

While Hindu Mahasabha and RSS have been totally against the state sponsored welfare programs and the concept of Socialism, Bose was a firm socialist. Within Congress he was with Nehru and other socialists for incorporation of socialist ideals in the national movement. When he left Congress he formed Forward Block, a socialist outfit, which had been part of the Left Alliance which ruled WB for decades.

Congress also looked at INA in a positive light and when after the end of World War II, the soldiers and officers of INA were tried in the Courts; lawyers like Bhulabhai Desai and Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru among others fought the case for the INA. Interestingly Nehru adorned the lawyer’s gown precisely to fight the cases for the brave soldiers of INA.

One should note that Hindu Mahasabha’s Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was part of the Government of Bengal in alliance with Muslim League. When British Government was suppressing the Quit India Movement, Mukherjee promised British not to bother about the Quit India Movement in Bengal as he will deal with them properly. Parallel to this Hindu Mahasabha’s Savarkar wanted British army to be strong and chief of RSS, Golwalkar put out a circular to its branches to stick to their regular activities and not to do anything which will annoy the British.

Hindu Rashtra (Nation) has been the main plank of Hindu Mahasabha-RSS. It is not much projected as to what were the ideas of Bose on the issue of nature of Nationalism and Hindu Muslim unity. To quote Bose from his writings, “With the advent of the Mohammedans, a new synthesis was gradually worked out. Though they did not accept the religion of the Hindus, they made India their home and shared in the common social life of the people – their joys and their sorrows. Through mutual co-operation, a new art and a new culture were (sic) evolved ….” And also that, “Indian Mohammedans” have continued to work for national freedom.” In order to uphold rights of minorities, he conceptualized a new State where “religious and cultural freedom for individuals and group” should be guaranteed and no “state-religion” would be adopted [‘Free India and her Problems’].

While sticking to ‘first comers’, RSS ideologues say that Aryans were the original inhabitants in India and from here they emigrated to parts of West Asia and Europe. In contrast Bose points out “, “The latest archeological excavations … prove unmistakably that India had reached a high level of civilization as early as 3000 B.C. … before the Aryan conquest of India.” His praise for Mohenjo-daro and Harappa is certainly a rational counter-argument based on ‘scientific findings’ against the imagination of a Hindu-Aryan origin of Indian culture.

Time and over again the Hindu nationalists have been trying to gain legitimacy by appropriating the national icons like Vivekanad, Sardar Patel and the like. Now with WB elections forthcoming ‘no holds barred’ efforts is on to appropriate a tall leader of freedom movement, whose ideology is totally in opposition the one of Hindu nationalists. He was a true socialist wedded to the concept of Hindu Muslim unity. He fought against British while Hindu nationalists supported them. He called Gandhi as rashtrapita, while one of the Hindu nationalist murdered him!

Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.

Inspiring Art Entrepreneur Archana Srivastava Shares How Art Is A Medium To Empower Women And Communities

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 Women Who Win News DeskArt, Profile, Women 0

“To me, preparing and letting women to make vital decisions in their life and in society is women’s empowerment . I seek to empower women through my work.” Today’s woman dreamer, Archana Srivastava, is a dynamic, renowned Mumbai-based artist, with a passion for highlighting history and tradition. Archana shares her view as art as a medium for empowerment, and her dream for her art career (such as her interest in NFTs, digital, and 3D art). She also reflects on her experiences as the wife of a senior bureaucrat. A relatable and creative journey, enjoy Archana’s story!

1) Tell us your story. You are an artist deeply rooted in Indian history and tradition, and your work is across mediums. You have had multiple solo art exhibitions as well and have had multiple recognitions for your work. What inspired you to become an artist? What inspires you creatively?

Since childhood I was passionate about art and art was like ‘Therapy’ to me. Born in a family which thrived on art and culture, it was an easy choice for me to draw, sketch, colour and paint. In early childhood days, I started drawing on slate (writing board), paper, walls and floors as soon as I could hold crayon or chalk in my hands. My family saw great potential in me and my parents would encourage me to draw/paint and to participate in school, district-level and regional competitions. Winning in such competitions encouraged me to paint more. I was a sincere student and excelled in academics. Often my study hours will get stretched and I would get exhausted. I would then draw on my practice notebook a face, figure, landscape or still life. As a result each of my practice notebook would have multiple figures and forms drawn on the last many pages. In fact often the pages with drawings would outnumber the pages with writings.

I was happy doing well in academics and pursuing art as well. My academic orientation helped me complete Ph.D in History and I started teaching graduate and post-graduate students as guest faculty in various colleges and universities off and on.

As far as the art was concerned, formal training was never an issue as my elder sister is into serious painting and my mother is also an artist. Plus over the years I have had the good fortune of learning from national and international-level award-winning artists, professors of reputed art schools on one to one basis informally. They did teach me technicalities of art but asked me to remain original in my imagination. In fact, everyone of them without exception encouraged me to have my own style. Thus I am one of those fortunate souls who learnt everything about art without joining an art school full time. Gradually, guests and visitors visiting my home would look at paintings at my place and ask me to have a public display of my artworks. Encouraged by their persuasion, I booked a reputed art gallery in Mumbai in 1999 and started working diligently towards my first solo exhibition. The exhibition was very well-received and thus began my journey as professional artist. I took up art as my profession with great enthusiasm and gusto, becoming a full-time artist and a part-time academician.

Thus art which began as ‘therepy’ became ‘thoughtful’ as I consider art to be a subtle form of expression. Through art intangible subjects can be made understandable. My art is mostly thematic and message-oriented. I enjoy portraying the complex messages contained in the ‘verses of ‘Bhagvad Gita’ and ‘Sufi poetry’ etc. I try to depict the‘non-obvious’ metaphorically, thus making it understandable.

2) You received the “Woman of Excellence Award 2020” from the Indian Achievers’ Forum. How do you define women empowerment? Do you seek to empower women through your work?

According to me, preparing and letting women to make vital decisions in their life and in society is women’s empowerment .

Raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, skill-development, training etc. and in turn making them self-reliant (financially, emotionally, socially and physically) constitute a major part of women empowerment.

Yes, I do seek to empower women through my work! I had made a whole series on rural Indian women. Basically, I tried to draw attention to their problems and generate awareness regarding their plight.

During my stay at several districts of Maharashtra, India I tried to solve their problems by connecting them to various NGOs, making them aware of the various women-oriented govt. schemes as well as their rights and above all, making them aware of the protection provided to them under law.

Right now, as CEO and Founder of ArtSage Pvt. Ltd. I am focusing on uplifting the condition of women artists and artisans of India.

3) Your husband is also a highly respected bureaucrat in Mumbai India. Very exciting – what does the life of a wife of a bureaucrat entail? What were some key learnings?

Being wife a of a senior and well-respected bureaucrat is both satisfying and challenging. Satisfying, as it gives you enormous opportunities to look at various problems and strengths of the country closely. It also gives you various opportunities and roles to work for the society directly or indirectly. Challenging, as it requires acting absolutely responsibly. One has to shift from one district to the other district owing to various transfers and handle many things single-handedly owing to the hectic nature of the spouse’s job. Bureaucrats are called backbone of the nation. While you are supporting and informally advising the policy-makers and law-enforcers, you can’t afford to be anything but responsible.

Given the integral role the spouse plays in the future of an individual’s life, career and field, it is important for a spouse of a bureaucrat to be level-headed, mature, dependable and conscientious. A supportive atmosphere at home can make one calm and stable to make positive and impactful decisions which can benefit society/ city/state/country.

The key learning from the experience has been that it is absolutely necessary for the wives of the bureaucrats to have their own identity. Bureaucrats and their families are closely observed and followed by many (especially at the district-level postings). Somewhere you are also being looked at as a role model. It would be a failure to derive your identity just from your man. That’s what women empowerment is all about and one can’t just preach it ; one has to practice it too. Secondly, a confident individual with a sense of worth and purpose will make a better companion and counsel than someone who is bitter having low sense of worth and nagging sense of unfulfilled potential.

4) You have recently started working on promoting the work of folk artists in India .Tell us more about that.

As CEO and Founder of ArtSage Pvt. Ltd. I aim to safeguard the interest of the folk and tribal artists and artisans of India. Folk and tribal art of India is rich in tradition and heritage and celebrated throughout the world. But unfortunately the condition of the artists and artisans is far from pleasant. They rarely get their due. Their artworks are bought at a very low price and sold at insanely high price at regional, national and international markets. Many of them quit their rich traditional/family art and opt for menial jobs in the villages. As far as some folk-arts are concerned, there are only a few families left in the country which pursue them. These art-forms need to be conserved and preserved. For that, it is very necessary to protect the artists from being exploited and support them in various ways. ArtSage Pvt. Ltd. is committed to doing that. It plans to help

them by providing resources, giving access to the technology to work more efficiently , helping them upgrade their skills, giving them platform to sell their artworks, creating awareness about the value of their art in public through workshops and symposiums and enriching their lives as a whole.

5) As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream? What are you focusing on for your next exhibition?

As an entrepreneur, I dream to see ArtSage Pvt. Ltd. realising our vision to bring about a sense of creativity & learning in folk and tribal artists in India and attaining our mission to create opportunities for them. I also dream to make ArtSage Pvt. Ltd. a commercially viable venture.

As an artist my dream is to go three-dimensional and digital.

For my next exhibition, I am planning to convey/portray my thoughts in 3D as well. With this idea I plan to have installations alongside the paintings. Installation art is an art-genre of three- dimensional works that are often walked around and contemplated.

One can discriminate installation art from sculpture art (which is also 3D) owing to its complete unified experience, rather than a display of individual artworks which are separate from each other.

I plan to have installations that are both interactive and immersive.

Also I am really fascinated by the idea of NFT art as an emerging trend and plan to create digital artworks which can be exclusive collectible NFTs.

Harvard Immunologist Pillai Says, Omicron Could Replace Other Covid Variants, Survive As Common Cold

January 27, 2022 Staff ReporterHealth, Profile 0

Harvard Medical School professor Dr Shiv Pillai says India’s third wave likely to subside by March, and suggests that the country’s response to the pandemic was a mixed bag.

The current Covid-19 surge in India is likely to subside by March. Over the long term, given its high transmissibility, it’s possible that Omicron will edge out all other variants of SARS-CoV-2 and survive as a relatively mild virus for which only the elderly need to be vaccinated.

That’s Harvard immunologist Dr Shiv Pillai’s “optimistic” take on the future at a time when an Omicron wave is sweeping the world.

In an exclusive conversation with ThePrint, he said it’s possible that Omicron will stay on as a fifth common cold coronavirus. These don’t confer immunity to those infected — it’s possible to catch the same virus multiple times in a year.

Dr Pillai added, however, that there’s also an alternative possibility of another wave caused by a resurgent Delta variant.

He also said that governments around the world didn’t tackle the pandemic as well as they could have — with India’s performance being a mixed bag — and emphasised that the flu vaccine gives no protection whatsoever against Covid.Dr Pillai is a professor of medicine and health sciences and technology at Harvard Medical School. He is the director of Harvard’s PhD and MMSc Immunology programmes. His research group studies T cell-B cell collaboration and its relevance to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

He grew up in India, studied medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore, and went on to receive a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Calcutta. He also has a unique poetic take on immunology.

Two future scenarios

Dr Pillai painted two possibilities for the future. He called the first an “overly optimistic scenario”, saying, “If Omicron replaces all other variants and takes over the population — which it’s doing quite well now — then it may be the only SARS-Cov-2 variant left. There would be immunity among the vaccinated against it, less among the unvaccinated. So, after seven-eight months, people who never got the vaccine would get Omicron.”

He added, “We currently have four known common cold coronaviruses that share similarities with Omicron. What might happen is that Omicron might become the fifth common cold coronavirus. It mutates but never gets highly pathogenic. We will then develop vaccines targeted at it, maybe get the elderly vaccinated. Nothing is a slam dunk in this situation. But there is a history of similar things happening in animals.”

Evolutionally, he said, the purpose of a virus is to replicate itself, not to kill its host — so any virus that does the former as well as Omicron has a fair chance of out-surviving other variants.

However, he added that there’s also an alternative possibility, that the Delta variant, surviving somewhere in the “Amazon forests”, will resurface and, taking advantage of the limited immunity Omicron confers against the other variant — “about 40 per cent of what you want” — unleash a virulent new wave.

India’s response varied

India’s response to the pandemic has varied, and sometimes lacked adequate information in policy decisions, said Dr Pillai. But there’s also a strong element of public education that seems to be missing, with people still shunning masks or not wearing them properly.

Large gatherings, including religious ones, were held in the open, and led to surges when the participants returned home, he said.

“All over the world, governments did not do as good a job as they could have. These things have to be rooted in science,” he said, adding, “I think people (in India) are not as serious as they should be. People don’t wear masks, or wear them in a way that will do nothing for them.”

“I am concerned about people not having information. I understand people are tired and life will go on. The issue of public education is a broader issue for a longer time,” he said.

He added, however, that “India did a great job in vaccinations.”

Lessons Learned Doing Business During a Pandemic

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 Casey GaleBusiness, Profile 0

Akshar Patel, vice president of conventions for AAHOA and one of this year’s PCMA Groundbreaker Award nominees, shares how COVID-19 has allowed him to “learn and sharpen” his skillset as an events executive.

The business events industry has numerous groundbreaking leaders — trailblazers who represent diverse sectors of the community and make meaningful contributions to advance inclusion and equity within their organizations. PCMA’s Groundbreaker Award, now in its second year, is dedicated to highlighting these individuals. Akshar Patel, vice president of conventions for the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), was among those nominated for the 2022 PCMA Groundbreaker Award, and with good reason — he has helped successfully lead his organization through one of the most difficult periods the events industry has faced — the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patel has been with AAHOA — the largest hotel owners association in the nation with nearly 20,000 members — for more than six years. Since early 2020, on the precipice of COVID becoming a pandemic, Patel was named vice president of conventions for the Atlanta, Georgia–based association. Like so many other business professionals, navigating COVID-19 has been the greatest challenge he has faced in his career so far, Patel said.

“There has been possibly no bigger obstacle, but also no better opportunity to learn and sharpen your skillset as an event executive,” Patel said. When AAHOA was forced to reschedule its 2021 annual convention no less than five times within the calendar year, “every day presented itself with new challenges, whether it be COVID-related, financial challenges, or contractual challenges,” Patel said, “but we were determined that the show must go on.”

Patel dealt with a fear of failure during this period, he said, “but coming together with clear communication, trust, and partnerships helped us weather the storm.” The AAHOA 2021 Convention & Trade Show was ultimately held successfully in-person in Dallas in early August with 6,272 attendees.

This year’s Groundbreaker Award recipient is Melissa Cherry, chief diversity and inclusion officer and senior vice president at Miles Partnership. Convene spoke with Cherry last fall about her focus on telling the stories of underrepresented community. “I get excited about being in the weeds,” she said during that interview. “I’m a working executive, as people have described me, and just really love helping bring that desire to have equity, diversity, and inclusion” be part of the work of organizations, she said, to raise them up to the next level.

Patel credits mentors like Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj, the past and present gurus and presidents of a major branch of denomination of Hinduism, for teachings that he has held tight to throughout his career, and that includes having a sense of humility. “[They] always taught me that if you want to lead and be successful, you need to know what the needs and wants are on ground zero,” Patel said. “Our industry is not about one person doing it all; it is a collaboration of subject matter experts who commit to the end goal and work toward it.”

During Patel’s time at AAHOA, these are values he has been able to embody, not only in running the association’s annual convention, but creating its 175 annual in-house events as well.

“As a planner, I am responsible for the reputation and livelihood of our organization,” he said, “and if I don’t have the right mindset and tools to return on investment, our industry will not grow.”

Maju Varghese Quits As White House Military Office Head

January 27, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile 0

Indian-origin Maju Varghese is leaving his position as the director of the White House Military Office, according to a media report quoting him.

“Right now, it’s best for me and my family that I kind of just try to strike a little bit more of a balance,” CNN quoted Varghese explaining his decision to leave the White House.

“One thing I learned during two tours here is it’s a demanding place to work and it’s because the work is really important, and we throw all of ourselves into this,” he said of leaving after a grueling year.

At the White House, his role included working with the military to ensure medical support, emergency medical services and presidential transportation, communications and organizing official ceremonies and functions.

“These are complex movements, helicopters and planes and ground transportation and communications and supporting large events and global travel in and of itself is hard,” Varghese told CNN.

“Now you throw Covid in, you’ve got to think about all that comes with health and safety.”

He worked closely with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy when he was the chief operating officer of Biden’s election campaign, and later at the White House to ensure everyone’s health during the pandemic.

Murthy told CNN: “The way he would run meetings and to both chart out a path forward, reassure people, his calmness in the face of serious adversity and uncertainty — those are invaluable qualities that he brought to the operation.”

He had also worked for former President Barack Obama as a special assistant to the president and the deputy director of advance organizing his travel in the US and abroad.

He was also the executive director of Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’s inauguration ï¿½ the swearing-in ceremonies and the festivities around it.

Varghese’s parents immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala, to the US, where he was born.

He is a lawyer by training.

CNN said that he did not reveal future plans.

Eric Garcetti Confirmed BY Senate Committee To Be U.S. Ambassador To India

January 17, 2022January 27, 2022 Staff ReporterNation India, Nation USA, Profile 0

Ending many months of waiting, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, January 12^th confirmed the nomination of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be US ambassador to India, during a session chaired by Sen. Menendez of New Jersey. The committee is made up of 22 senators — an even split of Democrats and Republicans. Now, the nomination needs to be confirmed by a majority of the U.S. Senate and the vote is yet to be scheduled.

The mayor was nominated to be an ambassador by President Biden, who announced the nomination on July 9, 2021. Garcetti was among a series of ambassadors and other foreign affairs nominees approved Jan. 12, 2022. Although individual senators raised public objections to some of the nominees, none did to Garcetti’s selection.

During his appearance before the committee on December 14, Mayor Garcetti was questioned by lawmakers weighing his nomination to become the U.S. ambassador to India. Garcetti during his testimony gave a statement followed by questions from lawmakers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.”Few nations are more vital to the future of American security and prosperity than India,” Garcetti told the committee.

Earlier last month, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Sen. Menendez, D-N.J., along with only a handful of Democrats and two Republicans, stressed how Washington sees India as a key partner in its effort to push back against China’s expanding power and influence.

“If confirmed, I will endeavor to advance our ambitious bilateral partnership united by a free and open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region,” Garcetti had said in his remarks. “I intend to double-down on our efforts to strengthen India’s capacity to secure its borders, defend its sovereignty, and deter aggression – through information sharing, counterterrorism coordination.”

Known to be President Biden’s close aide, Garcetti is a political appointee who in the past has served as a co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign. In announcing his nomination, the White House emphasized Garcetti’s role in co-founding the bipartisan “Climate Mayors” network and in leading more than 400 U.S. mayors to adopt the Paris Climate Agreement.

According to sources, the White House strongly considers Garcetti to have a steady hand to guide the India US relationship because Washington sees India as a key partner in its effort to push back against China’s expanding power and influence.
A Biden loyalist, Garcetti has served as mayor of Los Angeles since 2013. He has a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and he studied international relations as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.

The White House statement released earlier this year said Garcetti had spent 12 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve Component, serving under the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and with the Defense Intelligence Agency, before retiring in 2017 as a lieutenant.

Virat Kohli Steps Down As India’s Cricket Test Team Captain

January 17, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Sports 0

Virat Kohli has stepped down as captain of India men’s Test team. The 33-year-old, who stopped leading India’s limited-overs sides last year, had led the Test side since 2015. He captained India in a record-breaking 68 Tests, winning 40 matches – the fourth best record of any Test captain in history.

“It’s been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction,” Kohli said on social media. “I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it’s now.”

He has played in 99 Tests in total, averaging 50.39 in the longer format, with 27 centuries. In 2021 Kohli led India to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship, losing to New Zealand in Southampton.

The signs were there. Virat Kohli was becoming extremely frustrated with captaincy. The manner in which he kicked the air and blew up after Dean Elgar won a review on day three of the decider here indicated he was running out of patience.

If he had a vision then behaving badly on the field of play was not a part of it. A day after India lost the series 2-1 to South Africa, Kohli resigned as the Test captain in a long tweet, here on Saturday, Jan. 15th.

The Delhi batsman, who took over captaincy in a rather dramatic fashion when M.S. Dhoni shocked everyone by stepping down as skipper after the Melbourne Test against Australia in 2014, formed a lasting relationship with coach Ravi Shastri.

High and low

His greatest achievement as captain was in leading India to its first ever Test series triumph in Australia. Passionate about Tests, the failure to beat South Africa in a Test series on this tour would go down among his greatest disappointments.

“There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief,” he added on Twitter. “I have always believed in giving my 120% in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team.”

During his stint as captain, Kohli did not see eye-to-eye with Anil Kumble, which led to the legend being forced out as coach. Kohli also did not lead India to a title triumph in any ICC competition. Being removed as the ODI captain hurt Kohli. And his verbal duel with the BCCI did not help matters either.

The writing was on the wall. Rohit Sharma will be a natural successor to Kohli.

Kohli said in his tweet, “It has been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it is now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey: but never had there been a lack of effort or a lack of belief.”

Thanks Shastri & Co.

He thanked “Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved up in Test Cricket consistently. You all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to M.S. Dhoni who believed in me as captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian cricket forward.”

Kohli’s major wins as captain included victory over Australia in 2018-19 – India’s first series win down under and one that Kohli at the time described as the “proudest” moment of his career.

He also captained India to a 2-1 away series lead over England last summer, before the final Test at Old Trafford was called off due to Covid-19. It has now been rescheduled for Edgbaston this July. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) congratulated Kohli and said he had taken the team to “unprecedented heights”.

Kohli paid tribute to his team-mates including MS Dhoni, who he took over from as Test captain. “I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and most importantly to all the team-mates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation,” he wrote. “You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful.”

As A Controversial Verdict Acquits Bishop Franco, Groups Vouch To Take The Case To High Court

January 17, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Religion, Women 0

A Kerala court on Friday acquitted former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun 13 times over three years in a convent, citing lack of evidence in a case that shone a spotlight on violence against women in religious institutions.

Stating that “in-fight and rivalry and group fights of the nuns, and the desire for power, position and control over the congregation” were evident in the case, a trial court in Kerala Friday acquitted Franco Mulakkal, the former Jalandhar Bishop of the Catholic Church, of all charges in the alleged rape of a nun. The high-profile case had led to an unprecedented public protest in Kerala more than three years ago by other nuns in support of the complainant.

Bishop Mulakkal, who became the first Indian Catholic bishop to be arrested for rape in 2018, was accused by a 50-year old nun of raping her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. Mulakkal faced a slew of charges, including wrongful confinement, unnatural sex, rape of a woman incapable of giving consent and criminal intimidation.

The Court order last week said that “This court is unable to place reliance on the solitary testimony of PW1 and to hold the accused guilty of the offences charged against him”. Mulakkal was present in the courtroom when the verdict was pronounced. He later broke down in the corridor outside, hugged his lawyers, and told reporters before leaving the premises: “Daivathinu sthuthi’ (Praise the Lord).”

According to the Kottayam Additional Sessions Judge G Gopakumar, “This is a case in which the grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up. It is impossible to separate the grain from the chaff. There are exaggerations and embellishments in the version of the victim. She has also made every attempt to hide certain facts. It is also evident that the victim was swayed under the influence of others who had other vested interest in the matter,” Gopakumar wrote in a 289-page order.

However, one of the nuns who had spearheaded the protest against Mulakkal, Sister Anupama, expressed disbelief at the verdict. Speaking to reporters with tears in her eyes, she said: “We cannot believe this verdict. We will continue this fight until the day our fellow sister gets justice, even if it means we have to die. All the testimonies were in our favour so we don’t know what happened in court. We will definitely appeal in the higher court.”

S Harisankar, the former Kottayam district police chief under whose leadership the investigation was conducted, described the verdict as “extremely unfortunate”. He added, “We had fully expected a conviction. This verdict will be a surprise for the entire Indian legal system. it was after suffering huge psychological pressure that the survivor disclosed the assault to her fellow nuns” and that the verdict would “send a wrong message to society”.

The allegations against Mulakkal (57) came to light in June 2018 when a senior nun, belonging to the order of Missionaries of Jesus, submitted a complaint to the Kottayam police chief, accusing the bishop of raping her and subjecting her to unnatural sex 13 times between 2014 and 2016 at a convent in the district.

Subsequently, an FIR was filed against Mulakkal on charges of rape at the police station in Kuravilangad, where the convent is located. Mulakkal denied the charges and described the complaint as a “retaliatory act” for disciplinary action taken earlier against the complainant in an unrelated incident.

In September that year, a public square in front of the Kerala High Court premises in Kochi saw unprecedented scenes as five Catholic nuns, who were close to the complainant, sat on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the arrest of the bishop.

On September 21, 2018, the police arrested Mulakkal and booked him on rape charges, in the first such action against a Catholic bishop in the country. Mulakkal was released on bail nearly a month later, and divested of his responsibilities as bishop in the Jalandhar diocese.

In April 2019, a Special Investigation Team of the Kerala Police filed a 2,000-page chargesheet against Mulakkal. The trial commenced in November 2019, with the prosecution listing 83 witnesses of whom 39 were examined during the trial. A number of senior figures from the Church, including Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal George Alencherry, and 11 priests and 25 nuns were among the witnesses.

Mulakkal, who had first applied to the sessions court for a discharge without facing trial by alleging that the charges were fabricated, also saw his petition challenging the sessions court’s dismissal of his discharge plea being dismissed by both the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court, which said it was devoid of merits.

He also sought the High Court’s intervention in deferring the trial due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was also rejected on the grounds that adjournments in a trial need to be restricted.

The nun alleged that she had first approached the church’s senior officials, including the Pope but had not received any response, though the Vatican removed him from the diocese’s administrative roles.

The nun has also been at the receiving end of threats from powerful figures within the Catholic establishment who even came down hard on her supporters including one — Sister Lucy Kalappura — who was not only evicted from her convent but also had her membership of the congregation revoked.

A group of nuns of the Kuravilangad Convent in Kerala, who helped the victim, said they couldn’t believe the verdict. “We will fight it out till the end. We are ready to die to uphold our cause. Till the end, everything was fine and we have no idea what happened later. We will stay at the convent as we are not scared of our death,” said a teary-eyed Sister Anupama, who was the public face of the years-long battle. She alleged that the trial court refused to hear hapless wails of a victim who can’t even speak loud.

Indian-American Republican Elected President Of NJ Town City Council

January 17, 2022 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Indian American Juned Qazi made history when he was elected to the Marlboro Township Council, N.J., last November. And he made it again when he was voted in as President of the Council Jan. 6, 2022.

He now oversees the proceedings of a Republican majority town council after nearly two decades of Democratic government.

“The key point is this – I am the first Indian-American elected on a Republican ticket. The Republican Party has given tickets to many Indians, but this was the first victory in New Jersey,” Qazi contended.

Founder and president of a construction company since 2004, Qazi is one of three Republicans who displaced incumbent Democrats and now will be in the Council for a four-year term ending 2025.

Originally from Madhya Pradesh, Qazi went to St. Francis High School, Bhopal, he told Desi Talk. Always keen to be in politics, Qazi served as president of Indian National Overseas Congress (I) in 2014, and even dabbled in Indian politics back in the homeland, throwing his hat in for a seat during elections.

In the U.S., where he became a citizen two years ago, Qazi has been engaged with the diaspora community for decades, during which, he says he has helped bring people together. Today, he estimates 12 percent of population in Marlboro Township is of Asian origin.

“I am thankful to the people who have faith in our leadership and voted for us,” Qazi told Desi Talk. The other two Republicans who won along with Qazi are Antoinette DiNuzzo and Michael Milman. But it was not an easy race to defeat the long time Democratic incumbents Jeff Cantor, Scott Metzger and Carol Mazzola last November.

“It was very hard to break the hold of the incumbents because they had been in power for 17 years,” Qazi said. “I walked door-to-door, even during Covid, to bring people to our side. People wanted to see change and they voted for that. We plan to make the changes,” Qazi said.

He also credited the Chairman of the Marlboro Republican Party John Gibardi, for leading a “great campaign.”

Centraljersey.com reported the swearing in took place during the Marlboro’s government’s 2022 reorganization meeting Jan. 6, in the municipal building.

Newly sworn in Marlboro Township Council member in New Jersey Juned Qazi, seen here with his family Jan. 6, 2022. during the swearing in ceremony in the municipal building Photo: Prashant Desai courtesy Councilman Qazi

The ceremony included invocations by Muhammad Asif of Baytul Iman Academy, Rabbi Moshe Gerwirtz of Monmouth Torah Links, and Rev. Eugene Roberts of St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church, the news report said.

After the swearing in ceremony, the five council members, three Republicans and two Democrats, chose Qazi to lead them as President for 2022, in a unanimous vote.

Democratic Mayor Jon Hornik is quoted saying in Centraljersey.com, “We welcome the three new council members. I wish you nothing but the best of luck. This is the hardest time ever to become a public official … there is a lot going on that is beyond our control.”

Qazi told Desi Talk, “We form a great team and we will work for the Township regardless of party affiliation.”

Meera Joshi Appointed Deputy Mayor Of New York

December 27, 2021January 17, 2022 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

New York City’s Mayor-elect Eric Adams has chosen Indian-American Meera Joshi to serve as his Deputy Mayor for Operations, charting yet another historic milestone for the Indian-American community but also for one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

Joshi, who previously served as head of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission for five years, will be one of five women Deputy Mayors that Adams announced December 20, 2021. She will start in the new position around the end of January according to news reports.

“As Deputy Mayor for Operations, Meera Joshi will ensure that our City is able to respond in real time to meet and exceed the needs of every community and be a model of excellence for all urban centers,” Mayor-elect Adams tweeted. Mayor Adams created more history by announcing five women as his Deputy Mayors to administer the city.

Mayor-elect Adams, when announcing his five women deputies, tweeted out the following message – “For us to ensure that NYC recovers quickly while addressing the inequalities athat plagued us well before COVID-19 struck, we must have top leadership that can both deliver for and is representative of New Yorkers.”

“I am deeply honored to be selected by Mayor-elect Adams to carry out his mission together to build the heart and soul of New York, its infrastructure and its operations,” Joshi said in the Politico article. The publication also reported that Joshi thanked President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for appointing her to the FMCSA role.

During her time as FMCSA’s acting administrator, Joshi said she wanted to eliminate truck drivers’ stressors and to make truck driver a more attractive long-term career. In November, she attended the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Board of Directors meeting via videoconference.

“Some of the items that continuously come up since I started in January are all focused around the work-life balance of a truck driver,” she said. “We’re focused on safety, and to the extent that the work-life conditions aren’t there or they are not habitable, it does have a tremendous impact on safety. Overworked truck drivers, drivers who are dealing with roads and bridges that aren’t kept up, not having an adequate parking area, not having clean bathrooms, having to wait excessively while loading or unloading and not being paid.

“These are all stressors that we believe – and I think we will find agreement within this room – that have a direct connection to safety. So we’re focused on addressing some of these critical issues that underpin the ability of the industry to function safely on the nation’s roadways.”

Joshi is currently the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Most recently Joshi served as General Manager of the New York office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, and before that as chief regulator of New York City’s for hire vehicle industry.

“Under her leadership, New York City mandated the reporting of granular trip data from large app operators, which informed landmark data-driven safety reforms, enforceable pay standards for drivers and meaningful access to service for the disabled,” her profile on the transportation.gov says.

Joshi was named deputy administrator of FMCSA, which made her the de facto leader of the agency on Jan. 21. In April, President Joe Biden nominated Joshi to take the permanent role as administrator of the FMCSA. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee advanced Joshi’s nomination through a 22-6 roll call in October. However, Joshi’s confirmation still hadn’t been approved by the full Senate.

Politico reported on Dec. 20 that Joshi will become New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams’ deputy mayor of operations after he is sworn in on Jan. 1. Prior to being nominated by Biden, Joshi had been serving as acting head of FMCSA from January 20, 2021.

Joshi is not afraid to confront those in power when she disagrees, or make challenging decisions such as leaving the federal administration to take on a city job, albeit one that relates to an iconic global metropolis and financial capital of the world.

In 2019, when she was New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commissioner, she publicly disagreed with Mayor Bill de Blasio over a congestion fee he was planning to levy, and resigned. The Wall Street Journal in its headline said, “Resignation of NYC Taxi and Limousine Chief Shakes Industry,” indicating her influence. Joshi called the fee “potentially devastating” for cabdrivers.

Following her decision to accept Mayor-elect Adams’ appointment, the FMCSA praised her tenure at the federal level. “Meera Joshi has led FMCSA through historic times—as an unprecedented global pandemic, countless natural disasters, a cyberattack on a major domestic pipeline, and widespread workforce shortages challenged the freight economy in ways never before seen,” American Trucking Association President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement following reports that Joshi will be leaving the Biden administration, reported fleetowner.com news site.

Spear went on to say, “Throughout her tenure, the trucking industry has found Deputy Administrator Joshi to be a candid, collaborative, and valued partner in government,” Spear added. “Her use of data and stakeholder input drove a sound policy process designed to meet real-world needs. Her leadership has helped to ensure our industry could continue to safely serve the American people and meet the demands of the economy during these incredible times.”

Joshi was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up there. She did her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her got her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1995.

In its biography for the nomination, the White House noted her experience of more than 16 years leading government oversight agencies. Apart from being Chair and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, the nation’s largest for-hire transportation regulator where she spearheaded novel Vision Zero campaigns using data tools to keep high risk drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road, the White House said.

She also led landmark policy, including establishing robust open transportation data standards for app based providers; enacting the nation’s first for-hire driver pay protection program and providing broad access to for-hire transportation for passengers who use wheelchairsk, the Biden administration noted.

Prior to transportation regulation, Joshi was the Inspector General for New York City’s Department of Corrections, responsible for investigation of corruption and criminality at all levels of New York City’s jail operations. She was also the First Deputy Executive Director of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, leading investigations of police misconduct.

In addition to her government positions, Joshi served as General Manager for the New York Office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, and was a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy.

Aftab Pureval, First Asian American, All Set To Be Mayor of Cincinnati

December 27, 2021January 17, 2022 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Aftab Pureval, Indian-American Mayor-elect of Cincinnati, Ohio, is all set to become the first ever Asian American to lead one of the largest cities in the United States. He won Cincinnati’s race for mayor in November this year, according to unofficial results, making the 39-year-old lawyer the first Asian American elected to lead the city.

Pureval defeated David Mann, a city councilor and fellow Democrat who previously served as mayor and in Congress, 66 percent to 34 percent with all precincts counted, according to unofficial results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Pureval will succeed term-limited Mayor John Cranley, who is seeking Ohio’s Democratic nomination for governor in 2022.

“Words can’t express how honored and excited I am to be the next Mayor of Cincinnati,” Pureval said in a tweet late Tuesday. “Tonight, we made history! Let’s get to work!” A son of immigrants, the half-Indian, half-Tibetan Pureval is viewed as a rising political star in the state. He was elected clerk of courts in 2016 after running ads with a stuffed duck quacking his name — “Aftab!” — in a campaign reminiscent of the old Aflac insurance commercials.

Pureval is to be sworn in as Mayor of the City of Cincinnati on January 4, 2022. “We are so grateful for the many reforms and the leadership Aftab Pureval has brought to the Clerk of Court’s office since he was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020,” said Gwen McFarlin, Chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party.

As per reports, Aftab Pureval has announced his resignation as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts December 20, 2021, to allow the appointment process for his replacement to begin. “It has been a privilege to serve as Hamilton County’s Clerk of Courts, which has allowed me to serve alongside our public servants in the Courthouse,” Pureval is quoted saying in a press release. “I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past five years to bring modern and professional reforms to the Clerk’s office.”

Pureval took credit was policies that “have invested in the people who serve us” by paying a living wage to all employees and becoming the first county officeholder in Ohio to offer comprehensive paid family leave.

He also said during his term he had made access to justice a priority by launching a Help Center to assist people who are representing themselves with legal resources. He also said that by cutting waste and by making the office more professional, taxpayers had been saved millions of dollars.

After a failed bid for Congress in 2020, Pureval will now succeed Mayor John Cranley, who is retiring from the office due to term limits and vying for Ohio’s Democratic nomination for governor next year.

Typically, Asian American and Pacific Islander mayors win in cities that have large AAPI populations. And while Asian Americans are the nation’s fastest-growing voting bloc, this group makes up less than 1 percent of elected officials.

For Pureval, the current Hamilton County (Ohio) Clerk of Courts, his mayoral win was especially dramatic. Only about 3 percent of Cincinnati’s population identify as Asian, yet he won by roughly a 2-to-1 margin over his opponent David Mann, a veteran Democrat.

In a recent interview he had stated: “I’m half Tibetan and half Indian, and you’ll have to check me on this, but I’m not sure there are any other Tibetan mayors, let alone elected officials in the country. And what it says about Cincinnati as a city … is [it’s] a welcoming place where everyone has an incredible opportunity to achieve their dream.”

Dr. Akash Patel Assumes Office As IMANE’s New President, Deepa Jhaveri Is The President-Elect

December 27, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Health, Profile 0

The Indian Medical Association of New England, known as IMANE, installed Dr. Akash Patel, MD as its new president for the year 2022 and selected Dr. Deepa Jhaveri, DPM as its president-elect. Dr. Patel replaces Dhrumil Shah, MD, whose term expired this year.

Dr. Patel earned his medical school degree from Pramukhswami Medical College at Sardar Patel University in Gujarat, India. He completed his Family Medicine Residency at University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey/Hoboken University Medical Center in Hoboken, NJ. Dr. Patel is Board Certified in Family Medicine. His clinical interests include hypertension, cardiovascular health and preventive medicine.

Dr. Jhaveri is a board certified surgical podiatrist. She earned her undergraduate degree at University of Maryland and podiatric medical degree at Temple University. She is credentialed and works at Beth-Israel Lahey Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center.

Dr. Pramod Shah, MD, Chair of the Board of Trustees of IMANE, said that 2020 and part of 2021 were dead years because of the COVID19 pandemic.

“Board of Trustees congratulate Dr. Dhrumil Shah for his leadership during these trying times. He kept the communication going and activities going using zoom meetings, emails and telephone calls. His continued efforts and constant prodding and reminders kept the organization functioning well and achieving a lot,” said Dr. Pramod Shah.

“Life of a healthcare professional in today’s environment is full of challenges and uncertainties we have never faced in the past. While we are not going back to yesterday, we have to embrace our past irrespective of our desires and work together to build a better future for generations to come,” outgoing IMANE President Dr. Dhrumil Shah said. “I am really thankful for members and our community partners who showed us in 2021 despite all uncertainties, how we can all do our part in making the difference.”

He said that IMANE closely collaborated and worked with network of its alliance partners in 2021 to facilitate fundraisers and campaigns geared towards helping underserved communities in India.

“Empowering our community through new partnerships and facilitating activities with common objectives has been at the center of our new normal in 2021,” added Dr. Shah. “Please join me in welcoming the 2022 IMANE Leadership team as we continue our journey together to further IMANE mission and goals.”

Dr. George M. Abraham, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, Chief of Medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), served as the Chief Guest during the IMANE annual gala.

Three members of IMANE were also honored by IMANE President’s awards. D.. Sapna Agarwal was recognized for her contributions towards IMANE Leadership & Excellence. Dr Manju Sheth was honored for her work in making a global impact, and Dr Paul Mathew was honored for leading IMANE’s CME efforts.

The 43rd general body meeting of IMANE also elected new members to its executive committee and it Board of Trustees. Here is the complete list of all IMANE officers:

President: Akash Patel, MD

Past-President: Dhrumil Shah, MD

President-elect: Deepa Jhaveri, DPM

Secretary: Sonali Khond, MD

Treasurer: Shikha Merchia, MD

Members at Large:

Paul Mathew, MD

Monnie Malhotra, MD

Gita Trivedi, MD

Sanjay Aurora, MD

Smita Patel, MD

Board of Trustees:

Pramod Shah, MD

Rajendra Trivedi, MD

Sapna Agarwal, MD

Vikas Desai, MD

Kishore Mehta, MD

Chairman of Nominating Committee: Devila Shah, MD

ByLaws Chair: Pramod Shah, MD

YPS Representative: Tej Shah, DMD.

How Elon Musk Became The Richest Private Citizen In The World

December 18, 2021December 27, 2021 Staff ReporterBusiness, Economy, Profile 0

If you want to become a billionaire—and you didn’t happen to be born into the Saudi royal family—there are a few ways to get the job done. You could come up with one seriously good idea, like a new computer operating system or social network, and then build it into a gigantic company. Or you could take the Warren Buffet route, making a decades-long series of shrewd, low–risk investments, and then watch the wealth slowly trickle in. And then there’s what Elon Musk did.

Musk made his money differently than most of today’s famous billionaires. Instead of one amazing idea, he had several good ones. And instead of a bunch of clever, safe investments, he made just a few spectacularly risky ones. But there was a method to his madness, even if it wasn’t apparent to many at the time. The sum total of those bets made Musk the richest private citizen on the planet this year, and their world-altering effects—from privately-launched space missions to an electric vehicle titan that has left the auto industry desperate to catch up—have landed Musk as TIME’s 2021 Person of the Year.

Musk’s family was well-off. He had an early aptitude with computers, designing his own video game at 12-years-old. When he was 17, he left for Canada to escape military service in South Africa’s apartheid regime, attending Queens University in Ontario.

In 1992, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied physics and business. Penn’s tree-lined campus may have also given Musk his first taste for risky business ventures—he and a couple of friends rented out an off-campus house and turned it into a nightclub.

Then it was on to Silicon Valley and—briefly—to grad school. Musk enrolled in a physics Ph.D. program at Stanford, then dropped out after two days. Young entrepreneurs were starting to realize that the internet, a newfangled web of connections between computers, might be more than a playground for nerds, and Musk wanted to try his luck. Together with his brother Kimbal, Musk founded a company called Zip2 as an online business directory, a kind of web-enabled yellow pages with maps—a nifty idea back in the mid-nineties.

Elon and Kimbal recruited investors and brought on outside help to run the company, which made deals with publishers like the New York Times. In 1999, they sold the Zip2 to Compaq, a then-declining computer manufacturing giant, for $307 million. Musk netted a cool $22 million from the Zip2 sale; he promptly went out and spent $1 million on a McLaren F1 supercar. “It’s not consistent with the rest of my behavior,” he would tell CNN, which filmed Musk as the car was delivered to his home. A year later, Musk wrecked the car—he was trying to show off its acceleration and ended up accidentally launching it into the air like a frisbee. The million-dollar sports car was not insured.

But by then, Musk was already on to his next venture. Driving with him in the McLaren the day of the wreck was Peter Thiel, co-founder of a payments startup called Confinity. (Thiel and Musk weren’t injured in the crash).

Musk had plowed his millions into starting another online banking startup called X.com. The two companies would merge in March 2000, forming a business that eventually became PayPal. Musk was named CEO, but in September, while he was on vacation, the board fired him, replacing him with Thiel, partly due to a disagreement over switching the company’s servers.

“It’s not a good idea to leave the office when there are a lot of major things underway that are causing people a great deal of stress,” Musk would later reflect. Musk still had a stake in the company, though. When eBay bought PayPal for $1.5 billion in 2002, Musk netted a $180 million mega-fortune from the deal.

Musk didn’t end up relaxing with all the things his new millions could buy. In 2002, he founded SpaceX with the almost ludicrous mission of colonizing Mars. The next year, he sank an initial investment of more than $6 million into Tesla, which was then not much more than a pair of founders and a vision of electric sports cars.

The company planned to take advantage of new lithium-ion batteries, which were both light and energy-dense, to revolutionize the struggling field. At the time, lithium-ion cells were only being used in small electronic devices, and one of Tesla’s central innovations was scaling them up, which enabled it to create an electric vehicle with far greater range than previous electric cars had been able to achieve.

Both companies had a tough start in the first few years—Musk says he ended up pushing essentially all his proceeds from the PayPal sale into funding the ventures. SpaceX endured multiple failed launches, which almost put it out of business, while Tesla ran into trouble as its engineers realized its prototype battery packs were likely to catch fire. “It was a potentially company-ending discovery if we couldn’t fix it,” says former Tesla chief technical officer J.B. Straubel. Later, Tesla almost went bankrupt during the Great Recession in 2008.

Eventually, Musk’s investments began to pay off. In 2008, SpaceX secured a $1.6 billion deal with NASA, while Tesla in 2012 began cranking out its first mass-market car, the Model S. Today, Tesla is a behemoth, controlling about two-thirds of the U.S. electric vehicle market. SpaceX is the undisputed leader in private space exploration.

Rich Morgan

Though Tesla produces fewer vehicles than legacy carmakers like Ford and GM, its valuation has soared many times higher than theirs. In the past 18 months, Tesla’s stock price has more than tripled, pushing its market cap over $1 trillion.

Musk controls a healthy chunk of that stock, even after selling off almost $12 billion worth of shares in the past two months, though exercising his additional stock options may leave him with a bigger stake than when he started. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether the company will maintain its massive valuation—if Tesla’s stock falls, so does Musk’s fortune.

He currently holds about 17% of Tesla’s stock, valued at $175 billion, which constitutes the largest portion of his net worth. And with SpaceX’s value floating at over $100 billion, according to its October funding round, Musk’s 48% stake in the rocket-maker, plus cash and other assets, brings his total net worth to around $266 billion.

He’s put his money into new companies as well. In 2016, Musk started The Boring Company, which digs tunnels, and neurotechnology startup Neuralink. Both are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Those two most recent ventures are illustrative examples of the mindset that created Musk’s fortune. They’re both highly speculative endeavors—Neuralink is trying to develop telepathic interfaces with machines; The Boring Company aims to revolutionize infrastructure.

There’s not much chance either will pay off in the long run, experts say, but big-bucks risk-taking is Musk’s bread and butter. That same approach, throwing millions of dollars at impossibly difficult projects, is what turned Musk from a lucky kid with a dot.com fortune into the wealthiest person on the planet. Or at least the wealthiest private citizen. “I think [Russia’s] President Putin is significantly richer than me,” Musk told TIME in early December. “I can’t invade countries and stuff.”

Raghavan Appointed As White House Personnel Head

December 17, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile 0

US President Joe Biden on Friday elevated Indian American Gautam Raghavan to a new position making him head of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.

Biden announced Raghavan’s promotion to the key White House post after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced his intent to appoint Cathy Russell as the next executive director of UNICEF. Russell is currently the head of WH PPO.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Thursday that he was appointing Russel to head the UN arm devoted to the welfare of children, and almost simultaneously US President Joe Biden appointed Raghavan to succeed her at the White House. Russel follows another American, Henrietta Fore, who became the head of UNICEF in 2018 and quit this year.

The job of UNICEF head has traditionally gone to Americans, whose government is the largest contributor to the organization. (In 2020, Washington provided $801 million of the $7 billion contributions it received.)

Raghavan was Russel’s Deputy at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel which is in charge of vetting and recruiting political appointees to about 4,000 jobs that are not career civil service positions.

Biden said that his appointment will ensure a “seamless transition that will enable us to continue building a federal workforce that is efficient, effective, dependable, and diverse”.

Raghavan was the first employee hired by Biden’s Transition Team and served as the deputy head of presidential appointments, according to the White House. From there he went on to become deputy director of the personnel office with the title of deputy assistant to the President.

The Stanford University graduate was born in India and grew up in Seattle. He is openly gay, and according to the White House “he lives with his husband and their daughter in Washington”.

He worked in the White House Office of Public Engagement as liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community as well as the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the administration of former President Barack Obama.

He has been an adviser to the Biden Foundation. His resume includes a stint as the chief of staff for Pramila Jayapal, the Indian-origin Democratic member of the House of Representatives who is the chair of the leftist group of lawmakers known as the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

In her long political and administrative career, Russell has been the US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, associate deputy attorney general and an adviser on women’s issues to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

‘Thalapathy’ Vijay Is 2021’s Most Tweeted-About South Indian Actor

December 17, 2021 Staff ReporterCinema, Media, Profile 0

Tamil actor Vijay, fondly known as ‘Thalapathy‘ by his fans, has emerged as the most tweeted about actor in south Indian films for the year 2021, Twitter India announced on Sunday.

The social media giant tweeted a list that featured the top 10 actors on Sunday.

In the list, Telugu star Pawan Kalyan emerged second while Mahesh Babu was placed third. The fourth place went to Tamil star Suriya while Telugu actors Junior NTR and Allu Arjun took the fifth and sixth places, respectively.

The seventh spot went to Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday and the eighth, ninth and tenth spots went to actors Ram Charan, Dhanush and Ajith Kumar, respectively.

Among the actresses, Keerthy Suresh took the first place becoming the most tweeted about actress while Pooja Hegde and Samantha Ruth Prabhu came in second and third.

Kajal Aggarwal was placed fourth in the list, which had Malavika Mohanan taking the fifth spot. Rakul Preet Singh, who has now begun acting in Hindi films, was placed sixth, while Sai Pallavi came seventh. Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty and Anupama came in eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.

Vijay is a Tamil film actor and playback singer. He began his acting career doing many minor uncredited roles as a child artist in films produced by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar. Post-Thirumalai, he began portraying a stereotypical acting manner, much like Rajinikanth and M. G. Ramachandran. Vijay has more recently become a charismatic film star and has thus developed a large fan-following for himself. He is one of the highest paid actors in Tamil film industry, and he is referred to by fans and media as Thalapathy.

Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar was born on June 22, 1974, to film producer and director S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar, a playback singer. He had a sister named Vidhya Chandrasekhar who died at the age of two. The story of Vidhya Chandrasekhar was pictured in the film, Sukran. Vijay went on to do Visual Communications at Loyola College, Chennai & was classmates with fellow actor Surya Sivakumar, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Karthik Raja, and Vishnuvardhan.

He married the Sri Lankan Tamil, Sangeetha Sornalingam, on August 25, 1999. She was a die-hard fan of Vijay and sought interest in marrying him. They have two children, a son named Jason Sanjay, born on August 26, 2000 in London, and a daughter named Divya Saasha, born on September 9, 2005 in Chennai.

Career

Vijay’s first role was in the drama, he continued to perform as a child artist in films until Ithu Engal Neethi, directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar. Vijay debuted as a lead role actor in the 1992 film Naalaya Theerpu, produced by his father, then he co-stared with Vijayakanth in the film Sendhoorapandi. This film helped Vijay to become popular in the interior areas of Tamil Nadu. He received his breakthrough in the film Poove Unakkaga, which was directed by Vikraman.

He made a friendly appearance in the 2012 Bollywood film Rowdy Rathore starring Akshay Kumar, directed by Prabhu Deva. As a playback singer, Vijay has sung over thirty songs in his films, he completes his 25 years in singing on 2019.

Penn State Names Neeli Bendapudi As Next President

December 17, 2021 Staff ReporterEducation, Profile, Women 0

Neeli Bendapudi, currently president and professor of marketing at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, has been unanimously named Penn State’s next president by the Penn State Board of Trustees on Dec. 9. When she begins her appointment as Penn State’s 19th president in spring 2022, she will make history as the first woman and person of color to serve as the University’s president.

Bendapudi, currently the 18th president of the University of Louisville, is a recognized leader in higher education who specializes in marketing and consumer behavior. With a nearly 30-year career in academia, Bendapudi has taught marketing and served in a variety of administrative roles over the years, including as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas, dean of the School of Business at the University of Kansas, and founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at Ohio State University. With a focus on collaboration and development, Bendapudi has dedicated her career to student success, fostering inclusivity, and creating opportunities for students, faculty and staff to thrive.

Neeli Bendapudi, Penn State president-elect

“Penn State is a world-class university, and I couldn’t be prouder and more excited to join this vibrant community of outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni throughout the commonwealth and beyond,” Bendapudi said. “Thank you to the Penn State community and Board of Trustees. I am grateful for this opportunity and will make it my mission to help Penn State reach new heights across each of our campuses.”

After a comprehensive national search, Bendapudi was announced as the University’s next president during a Dec. 9 special meeting of the Board of Trustees following an extensive vetting process and overwhelming support from the Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee, an 18-member group with student, faculty, staff and trustee representatives. She will succeed President Eric J. Barron, who will retire after serving Penn State for more than 30 years in various roles, including most recently as president since 2014.

“We are proud to welcome Dr. Bendapudi to Penn State. She is a dynamic and innovative leader who has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to higher education and is prepared to help our University advance in the ways we support students, create new knowledge and serve society,” said Matt Schuyler, chair of the Board of Trustees. “I want to extend my appreciation on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees to the many Penn State community members who participated in this selection process. Your engagement served as a critical framework throughout the search and has helped lead us to this exciting new chapter in Penn State’s history.”

Schuyler thanks President Barron for his years of dedicated service and has noted there will be a seamless transition between the two leaders.

“President Barron’s impact can be felt in every facet of the University, throughout the state of Pennsylvania and beyond,” Schuyler said. “His steadfast commitment to our students, faculty and staff; dedication to opening pathways to a Penn State education; passion for research and entrepreneurial innovation; and leadership during challenging times have been unwavering. Dr. Barron will leave our University in a most-desirable position for any leader to further our goals and mission.”

About Penn State’s 19th president

Following a rigorous interview process — including special small-group meetings with select faculty members — the full Board of Trustees interviewed and selected Bendapudi to be the University’s next president.

“We found Neeli Bendapudi to be an incredibly thoughtful, strategic leader with an inspiring breadth and depth of experiences in academia and research. As an accomplished leader, she will bring a forward-looking perspective to the presidency while remaining grounded in the important connections with our students. The qualities of a 21st-century academic leader — commitments to excellence, equity and opportunity — are second nature to Dr. Bendapudi,” said Nina Jablonski, Evan Pugh University Professor of Anthropology and member of the Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee. “I am honored to have served Penn State in this capacity, alongside my dedicated colleagues. We committed ourselves to recommending the best individual for this vital position.”

The board and committee were very impressed with Bendapudi’s commitment to research, innovation and economic development, and also to how her experiences and vision align with Penn State’s modern land-grant mission and values, according to Schuyler.

“Thank you to the many students, faculty, staff and trustees who served on the Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee and Next Gen Penn State Advisory Group, including the outstanding leadership from trustees Mark H. Dambly, David Kleppinger and Julie Anna Potts throughout this process,” Schuyler said. “Your collective dedication has resulted in an exceptional new president for Penn State, and I am thrilled to be able to begin working with her as our president-elect.”

Following Barron’s retirement announcement, the Board of Trustees moved forward with a phased approach to select a new University leader and named the Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee to lead the search with support from executive search firm Spencer Stuart. During a listening phase in the spring, Penn State community members shared their input and recommendations resulting in a Next Gen Penn State report that was used to inform the presidential position profile. The official search launched in July 2021 and throughout the fall the Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee developed a pool of the highest-quality candidates, with deliberate effort to identify diverse, high-performing candidates across genders and backgrounds.

“It was a privilege to serve the University in this capacity on behalf of my fellow students and peers,” said Erin Boas, undergraduate student member of the Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee and president of the University Park Undergraduate Association. “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dr. Bendapudi to Penn State. She is a charismatic, transformational leader who cares deeply about students and has committed herself to advancing all aspects of the student experience.”

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda Given Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021

December 16, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, Immediate Past President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), was conferred The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA 2021) in person during a solemn ceremony at the Indian Consulate in Atlanta, GA on December 5^th, 2021.

Dr. Jonnalagadda was officially recognized with the prestigious award during the 16^th edition of the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, held virtually on January 9^th, 2021. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards were conferred by the Hon’ble President at the PBD Convention in the valedictory session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) is the highest honor conferred on Non-Resident Indians, Persons of Indian Origin or an organization/institution established and run by the Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin in recognition of their outstanding achievements both in India and abroad.

While responding to this great honor, Dr. Jonnalgadda said, “It’s my great honor and privilege that I have been chosen to be a recipient for the prestigious award by the government of India, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021 (PBSA), the highest honor conferred on Persons of Indian Origin in recognition of their outstanding achievements both in India and abroad.”

Dr. Jonnalagadda expressed his “sincere gratitude and appreciation to the government of India for selecting me for this prestigious award. In recognizing me, the government has recognized all the medical professionals who have been in the forefront, fighting Covid -19, including those who have laid their lives at the services of treating patients infected with the deadly virus. “

Stating that “It’s fitting to dedicate this award to all my AAPI family members and the entire medical fraternity,” the past president of AAPI said, “This award will strengthen us all to recommit our skills, talents and efforts for the greater good of humanity, as the Covid pandemic continues to devastate many countries, impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Together we will face the challenges and defeat the virus and make this world a better and safer place for all of us to live and flourish. Congratulations to all of my co-awardees.”

Dr. Jonnalagadda, said, “I wanted to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the government of India for selecting me for the prestigious award. In recognizing me, the government has recognized all the medical professionals who have been in the forefront fighting Covid, including those who have laid their lives at the services of treating patients infected with the deadly virus. This award will strengthen the medical fraternity to recommit our efforts, skills and talents for the greater good of humanity. Congratulations to all of my co-awardees.”

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda assumed office as the 37^th President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) on Saturday, July 11, 2020, and committed himself to “make AAPI stronger, more vibrant, united, transparent, politically engaged, ensuring active participation of young physicians, increasing membership, and enabling that AAPI’s voice is heard in the corridors of power.”

Dr. Jonnalagadda was born in a family of physicians. His father was a Professor at a medical college in India and his mother was a teacher. He and his siblings aspired to be physicians and dedicate their lives for the greater good of humanity. “I am committed to serving the community and help the needy. That gives me the greatest satisfaction in life,” he said. Ambitious and wanting to achieve greater things in life, Dr. Jonnalagadda has numerous achievements in life. He currently serves as the President of the Medical Staff at the Hospital.

His vision for AAPI has been to increase the awareness of APPI globally and help its voice heard in the corridors of power. A Board-Certified Gastroenterologist/Transplant Hepatologist, working in Douglas, GA, Dr. Jonnalagadda is a former Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Georgia. He was the President of Coffee Regional Medical Staff 2018, and had served as the Director of Medical Association of Georgia Board from 2016 onwards. He had served as the President of Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (GAPI) 2007-2008, and was the past chair of Board of trustees, GAPI. He was the chairman of the Medical Association of Georgia, IMG section, and was a Graduate, Georgia Physicians Leadership Academy (advocacy training).

As the President of AAPI, the dynamic physician from the state of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Jonnalagadda has worked hard to “develop a committee to work with children of AAPI members who are interested in medical school, to educate on choosing a school and gaining acceptance; Develop a committee to work with medical residents who are potential AAPI members, to educate on contract negotiation, patient communication, and practice management; Develop a committee to work with AAPI medical students, and to provide proctorship to improve their selection of medical residencies.”

Dr. Jonnalagadda was chosen for the highest civilian award given to any NRI by the Government of India in the field of Medicine and for his great leadership of AAPI, the largest ethnic medical organization in the US, especially during the Pandemic. AAPI represents the interests of the over 100,000 physicians and Fellows of Indian origin in the United States, serving the interests of the Indian American physicians in the US and in many ways contributing to the shaping of the healthcare delivery in the US and to some extent in India for the past 39 years.

AAPI Commits To Strengthen ADOPT-A-VILLAGE Project By Adopting 75 Indian Villages

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Dr. Satheesh Kathula sets an example by adopting his own village in India, providing free comprehensive health screening to his native villagers

Continuing with its magnificent efforts to help their motherland, members of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the premier medical organization in the United States has initiated Adopt-A-Village, a Rural Health Initiative in India, with plans to adopt 75 villages to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence. Chaired by Dr. Satheesh Kathula, the Secretary of AAPI, the much needed and popular program has Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, Dr. Jagan Ailinani and Dr. Ram Singh as members of the committee.

“We are really humbled by the overwhelming response we received thus far,” said Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Chair of AAPI’s Adopt a Village Committee. “We have sponsors for more than 50 villages and are confident that we will find rest of them soon. This project will do comprehensive screening for non communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, anemia, malnutrition, chronic kidney disease, and hypoxemia. We are doing these much needed screenings in 5 states, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. If you want to sponsor a village in any of the above mentioned states, please feel free to contact us. There is a plan to extend this project to other states if there is enough interest. Our heartfelt thanks to the sponsors for taking part in this noble project.” He also said,

While setting an example and urging others to join him in this noble venture, Dr. Satheesh Kathula himself was present in India in October of this year, and inaugurated the project in Ramaiah Palle village in Mulugu District in the state of Telangana which was sponsored by him.

While referring to the objectives of the Program, Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President, AAPI, said: “A lot of efforts are being put into this initiative, ‘Adopt a Village’ Project where AAPI in collaboration with Global TeleClinics, Inc. (GTC), has planned to adopt 75 villages in India spread across 5 states where the rural people of India will be offered ‘Free Health Screenings in 75 Rural Villages’ for Anemia (CBC), DM (HbA1C), High Cholesterol, CKD, Malnutrition, Kidney Disease, Malnutrition, Obesity, and Hypoxemia. Results analyzed by GTC and further action recommended by their team of experts will also be followed up. This is a small contribution from AAPI to Mother India in celebration of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav.” Dr. Anupama thanked the AAPI members for their generous support for this noble work of AAPI and for sponsoring their ancestral villages and going back to their roots.

Dr. Satheesh Kathula pointed out about the need for this noble initiative. He said, India has nearly 700,000 villages. Three out of four Indians and about 77 percent of the poor live in villages. The majority of the population has no access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The needs in these rural areas are unlimited and the scope to work are endless. “By adopting one village at a time and working with the government and NGOs, NRIs can make a difference,” he said. Dr. Kathula referred to some of the programs in place in several rural villages, including supply of cloth mask, clean drinking water and free health care screening that has benefitted thousands of people across India.

Dr. Ravi Kolli, President-Elect of AAPI, said, “While India has made substantial progress in health care as evidenced by the fact that life expectancy in India at birth now is 71 years as opposed to 58 years in 1990 and 41 years in 1960, there are significant gaps and divergence in health metrics in different regions in India. India, thus needs to redouble and continue its efforts and dedicate resources to tackle these perennial challenges,” he said.

Dr. Kusum Punjabi, Chair of AAPI BOT said, “Many of these projects and programs need regular funding, and management of resources. We are grateful to dozens of AAPI members who have committed to Adopting a village in India with an ongoing commitment.”

Dr. Anjana Samadder, Vice President of AAPI, said, “We as doctors of Indian origin, can make a huge difference in the lives of millions of people in India. Each project will involve a tripartite partnership between the NRI, state government and a local NGO.”

Dr. Krishan Kumar, Treasurer of AAPI pointed out, “We are happy to get involved in this project and looking forward to seeing more sponsors.”

Recently, a launch event of the program had a very rare show of support for AAPI, by having the esteemed participation of all 5 consulate generals in the US including, honorable Consul Generals of Chicago, New York, Houston, Atlanta and the Deputy CG of San Francisco. Ambassador of India to US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the meeting with his message and lauded the numerous efforts of AAPI for India, especially during the pandemic.

There is no instant solution for rural India’s myriad problems. Over time, with our consistent efforts, an improved village could lead to an improved region, state and the country. NRIs can adopt the village they hail from and make a significant contribution towards its development. There is a real will and desire on the part of governments, both at the state and the central level to work with NRIs and NGOs to bring development to rural India.

Physicians of Indian origin are well known around the world for their compassion, passion for patient care, medical skills, research, and leadership. They have excelled in their fields of medicine, and thus have earned a name for themselves through hard work, commitment and dedication to their profession and the people they are committed to serve. Not satisfied with their own professional growth and the service they provide to their patients around the world, they are in the forefront, sharing their knowledge and expertise with others, especially those physicians and leaders in the medical field from India.

Dr. Gotimukula, urged “AAPI members to consider joining this movement and adopt a village. AAPI will work with you in coordinating the efforts and through the support system we have in several states, will help you achieve this goal of giving back to our motherland.” AAPI members/families can sponsor a Village by emailing to: aapipresident@aapiusa.org. For more details, please do visit: www.aapiusa.org

FIA Chicago Elects Hitesh Gandhi As New President For 2022

December 9, 2021 Asian Media USAHealth, Profile 0

Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) hosted a welcome reception to unveil its comprehensive roadmap for 2022 & beyond replete with meaningful events that seek to complement and celebrate a multitude of community-centric program initiatives with emphasis on India’s festivals, community outreach, charitable causes, social, cultural, business, medical and other community-oriented events including addressing the emerging pandemic challenges at its annual board meeting held on Sunday, November 28, 2021, at the Big Suchir Banquets in Westmont, IL. The meeting was attended by the entire FIA team as well as the advisory board members.

This year FIA Chicago unanimously elected its new leader Hitesh Gandhi and the new board. The event was presided by Founding Members Sunil Shah, Onkar Sangha, Neil Khot, Rita Singh, Mukesh Shah, Dhitu Bhagwakar, and Current President Kamal Patel.

FIA’s General Secretary Richa Chand conducted the proceedings of the Annual Board Meeting for the year 2021-2022 and invited Founder President Sunil Shah for his opening remarks. Shahin his speech, outlined the successes behind the year 2021, listing the events conducted by the FIA and its team. He thanked the outgoing team for its hard work in putting together and conducting various India-centric and Charitable events during the year. He also took the opportunity to welcome new members to team FIA. In a major announcement, he declared that FIA would initiate an annual FIA Scholarship for deserving students starting from the year 2022.

Current President Dr. Kamal Patel in his speech thanked the founding board, and the team 2021 for all the work put in to make the year a resounding success. From the Republic Day event in January 2021 albeit a Zoom Event attended by more than 350 guests headline by Kailash Kher the prominent Bollywood Singer to the Holi Festival of Colors Event which was two-pronged – one to celebrate the festival of Holi and two to collect funds to send to India as a donation for the fight against Covid and supply Oxygen Concentrators, not to forget the grand Independence Day event to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Founding Members Onkar Sangha, Neil Khot, Rita Singh, Mukesh Shah, Dhitu Bhagwakar also took the stage thanking team 2021 and praising the work of the team in making the year a resounding success. Founding Member and Past President Neil Khot announced the formation of a Board of Trustees that would be seated with Past Presidents and announced the names of Ninad Daftari and Gurmeet Singh Dhawan as the two past presidents being the trustees on this esteemed board.

Founder President Sunil Shah then announced Team 2022, President-Elect Hitesh Gandhi will spearhead the team for the year 2022 with the help of Executive Vice Presidents Shital Daftari and Vinita Gulabani and the entire board which include Vice Presidents – Altaf Bukhari, Pratibha Jairath, Anu Malhotra, Sonia Luther, Abir Maru, General Secretary – Richa Chand, Joint Secretary – Neelam Saboo, Treasurer – Vaishal Talati, Joint Treasurer – Ashwani Mahajan, Cultural Secretary – Pika Munshi, Joint Cultural Secretary – Ila Chaudhari, Directors: Harsh Shah, Mukesh Shah, Chetan Patel, Vibha Rajput, Varsha Visal, Jitendra Bulsara, Vidya Joshi, Jesse Singh, Bharat Malhotra, N Nagasubramaniam Iyyer, Hitesh Patel, Ashima Washington, Vikas Kalwani, Mir Ali, Dr. Afroz Hafeez, Chandni Kalra, Nirav Patel, Murugesh Kasilingam, Pratik Deshpande and Sujal Patel.

The incoming President Hitesh Gandhi offered his view for the year 2022 and the plans to take the organization to new heights with events planned for Celebrating India’s Republic Day, Independence Day, and Cultural events like Holi and Diwali. This year FIA Chicago will also host a Medical Wellness Checkup Camp, Blood Donation Drive, Food Drive, and Toys of Kids during the holiday season.

FIA Chicago was founded to bring Cultural awareness to the Chicagoland area and has now grown to serve the community by hosting many events for the community and helping the community grow and become one. FIA Chicago plans to take on projects like Job fairs, Entrepreneurship camps, and Youth Leadership Development Skill Camps.

Sunil Shah then took the opportunity to thank the new advisory board members for the year 2022 year including Deepakkant Vyas, Anil Loomba of HMSI, Suresh Bodiwala of Asian Media Broadcasting, Yogi Bhardwaj, Vinoz Chanamolu, Nag Jaiswal, Jasbir Suga, Syed Hussaini, Manish Gandhi, Brij Sharma (Power Volt), Asha Oroskar (Orochem), Smita Shah (Direct Floors), Amarbir Singh Ghuman, Pradeep Shukla (CPA) and Neal Patel (MedStar), Pinky Thakkar, Sanhita Agnihotri, Ajeet Singh, Aishwarya Sharma, and Keerthi Reevori.

Ajaz Patel Of New Zealand Makes Record By Claiming 10 Wickets In Innings

December 9, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile, Sports 0

New Zealand’s Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel has claimed all 10 wickets in the second Test against India, becoming only the third bowler in cricket history to achieve the feat. The left-arm spinner added six wickets to the four he took on day one to finish with 10-119 as India were bowled out for 325 in Mumbai on Saturday, December 4th.

The 33-year-old Patel, whose parents emigrated to New Zealand in 1996, joined England off-spinner Jim Laker (in 1956 against Australia) and India leg-spinner Anil Kumble (in 1999 against Pakistan) in picking up all wickets in an innings.

During the Test in Mumbai last weekend, New Zealand were bowled out for 62 in reply, before India closed day two on 69-0 – a lead of 332. The two-match series is level at 0-0 after India came within one wicket of forcing victory in the opening Test.

Mumbai-born Patel bowled 47.5 overs – more than twice as many as any other bowler – and his milestone moment came when India’s Mohammed Siraj edged an attempted sweep to Rachin Ravindra.

Patel’s performance will likely be in a losing cause, given New Zealand’s collapse with the bat. Siraj removed Will Young, Tom Latham, and Ross Taylor in the space of seven balls on his way to figures of 3-19, before the last seven wickets fell to spin as Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 4-8.

Youngest CEO of Fortune 500 Company, Parag Agrawal To Lead Twitter

December 9, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile, Technology 0

On Day 1 of Parag Agrawal’s new job as CEO of Twitter, congressional Republicans took a tweet he had posted in 2010 out of context to imply that he’s biased against White people. On Day 2, Twitter unveiled a confusingly worded new policy banning the sharing of “private media,” which drew immediate fire from both left and right.

And that was all before Agrawal was formally introduced as the company’s new CEO at an all-hands meeting Tuesday Nov. 30, 2021, following outgoing CEO Jack Dorsey’s surprise resignation tweet on a Monday that was supposed to be a “day of rest” for Twitter’s employees.

Agrawal, who at 37 becomes the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, was chosen unanimously to succeed Dorsey by Twitter’s board of directors, according to an official statement Monday. At Tuesday’s all-hands meeting, according to employees who attended, Dorsey emphasized Agrawal’s engineering background and the fact that he rose through the ranks over a decade at Twitter in touting him as the ideal choice to lead the influential social media firm.

Yet several current and former employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Agrawal was an unexpected choice internally – though not necessarily an unwelcome one – for one of the most fraught leadership roles in Silicon Valley. Having joined Twitter before completing his Ph.D. program at Stanford University in 2011, he spent much of his tenure there with zero direct reports, two of those employees said.

As chief technology officer, he also had limited experience handling the thorny questions of content policy – what people are allowed to post on social media – that make Twitter an influential force in global discourse and a target of criticism and regulation by governments and political actors around the world.

“Agrawal has to sort out how Twitter should respond to a fusillade of bills in Congress seeking to rein in social media companies and a new [Federal Trade Commission] chairwoman who has painted a target on the prominent platforms,” as well as attacks from former president Donald Trump and the right, said Paul Barrett, deputy director of the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, in an email. If Trump runs again, “pressure to reinstate him will be enormous. Impressive engineering chops won’t resolve that problem.”

Instead, insiders say, his formidable engineering chops, his alignment with Dorsey’s vision of a “decentralized” future for social media, and his relatively uncontroversial reputation within the company helped to make him the choice over other, perhaps more obvious internal candidates in a closely guarded and opaque succession process.

While Dorsey told employees at the all-hands that the company had “defeated” activist shareholders and that the decision to step down was all his, at least one person outside the company who was familiar with the process suggested it was pressure from those shareholders and like-minded board members that ultimately led to his departure. While the timing was up to Dorsey, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential matters, his exit from the company was “the culmination of a conversation Elliott Management started when it made its investment in Twitter in early 2020.”

Twitter spokeswoman Liz Kelley sent a statement saying that the board had formed an independent committee in 2020 to evaluate Twitter’s leadership and create a CEO succession plan. Twitter also reiterated that the decision was Dorsey’s.

Kelley pushed back on the idea that Agrawal is light on policy or management experience. She said he was central to reviewing a 2020 document that introduced the company’s strategic approach to policy and that he led the process of building machine-learning software that automatically removes content that breaks Twitter’s rules. In a recent management role, she added, Agrawal led the company’s platform engineering team – a large technical team with hundreds of workers.

Now Agrawal becomes the public face of a platform that is frequently criticized by the right for moderating speech too aggressively and by the left for not moderating speech aggressively enough. Its decision to cover up a tweet by Trump last year – before any other tech companies had taken action against him – exemplified the outsize political power of the role that Agrawal steps into. Dorsey testified on Capitol Hill five times, and Agrawal is likely to find himself there soon enough as Congress continues to eye new regulations on social media platforms.

Agrawal will bring a keen intellect, those who know him say, but little to no experience in the political realm. Then again, few other Big Tech CEOs had political experience when they stepped into the top job, either. And the pressure Twitter’s board faced from investors was less about the nuances of its policy decisions and more about developing popular new products that would spur user growth and give it more mainstream appeal.

One key to Agrawal’s selection, insiders say, is that he appeared to be in lockstep with Dorsey on a vision for the future for the company. That future will emphasize decentralization and open-source software. Agrawal was the lead proponent of a Twitter-funded project, called Bluesky – an independent organization that builds software that could be shared by different social media companies.

One of the employees described Agrawal as a “big ideas guy” who was unproven as a manager, doesn’t relish dealing in details and “isn’t the best with people.” Even so, that employee was “overall happy” with the choice, because Agrawal came across as thoughtful and respectful.

“People seem generally happy about Parag, but mostly because he’s the best choice among a bunch of bad options,” said another of the employees.

What other candidates were considered for the role has not been disclosed, and Twitter declined to comment. But one name that came up both in internal and external speculation was that of Kayvon Beykpour, the company’s head of consumer product, who has overseen the launch of several new features in recent years, including the live-audio forum Twitter Spaces.

Three of the employees agreed Beykpour’s aggressive management style would have made him a divisive pick. One said they had been prepared to leave if Beykpour was the choice. And two noted that Beykpour and Agrawal did not always see eye to eye.

The person outside the company who said they were familiar with the decision process confirmed that Agrawal’s solid reputation among the rank and file was a factor.

“He’s a culture carrier, internally, highly respected within the company, and wouldn’t be highly disruptive” as the new CEO, the person said. “If you look at what Twitter needs to take it from where it is today to a $100 billion, $200 billion company, it’s really a product-driven, innovation mind-set: How do we roll out new features and functionality?” The person cited Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen as examples of internal candidates with little name recognition who emerged as capable leaders at their respective firms.

Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s policy chief, is also highly respected internally, the current and former employees said, and would have been a strong choice for handling Congress and regulators. But it was understood that the company’s leaders and investors preferred someone with expertise in engineering or product development.

Though Agrawal does not have formal experience managing a policy team, he has been a major implementer of initiatives that attempt to balance freedom of speech with protecting users from harms like bullying and disinformation, as well as initiatives to open the company’s algorithms to public scrutiny, said a senior Twitter executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal matters.

For example, Twitter was the first of the major platforms to cover content with warning labels that notify people that a newsworthy tweet may be problematic and to create a pop-up asking people to take a moment to double-check whether they want to retweet a particular tweet.

“Parag was the person internally bringing all that to life,” said the executive. “Twitter has always been a ‘product-led company,’ but as the future of the Internet becomes more about standards for algorithms and decentralization – he has been a key voice in building out the tools to make those policy goals a reality.”

One of the other Twitter employees offered a less glowing assessment. “He’s not actively harmful,” the employee said. “I’ve seen worse men get ahead with less.”

Gita Gopinath Promoted As First Deputy Managing Director At IMF

December 9, 2021 Staff ReporterEconomy, Profile, Women 0

Indian-American Gita Gopinath, the chief economist of International Monetary Fund, is being promoted as IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director, the fund announced last week. She would replace Geoffrey Okamoto who plans to leave the Fund early next year. Ms. Gopinath, who was scheduled to return to her academic position at Harvard University in January 2022, has served as the IMF’s chief economist for three years. Gopinath was to return to her position as John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics, Harvard University in January 2022.

“Both Geoffrey and Gita are tremendous colleagues — I am sad to see Geoffrey go but, at the same time, I am delighted that Gita has decided to stay and accept the new responsibility of being our FDMD,” said Kristalina Georgieva, IMF’s Managing Director.

Ms. Georgieva said Ms. Gopinath’s contribution to the Fund’s work has already been exceptional, especially her “intellectual leadership in helping the global economy and the Fund to navigate the twists and turns of the worst economic crisis of our lives.”

She also said Ms. Gopinath — the first female chief economist in IMF history — has garnered respect and admiration across member countries and the institution with a proven track record in leading analytically rigorous work on a broad range of issues.

The IMF has had 10 occupants of the FDMD chair since the position was created in 1949. Each – only one of them a woman – has been a citizen of the US. Gopinath too is a US citizen.

Noteworthy that Gopinath wasn’t always the topper type she became as an economics undergraduate in Delhi’s Lady Shriram College. Till her Class 7, she was at around 45 per cent and then toyed with the idea of professional sports. Also, she briefly showed up for modelling.

In an interview to an Indian weekly some years back, her mother, V.C. Vijayalakshmi, had talked of the ascent since Class 7: “The girl who used to score 45 per cent till class seven, started scoring 90 per cent.”

Then a good science intermediate degree at Maharaja PU in Mysore and topping Delhi University in BA. “She created quite a flutter by bagging the gold medal as LSR had beaten St Stephen’s for the first time, and by just two marks.” Like many kids her age in India, Gopinath also entertained ideas of taking the civil services exam and MBA too.

Today, the IMF MD spoke of the struggling Class 7 student thus: “…given that the pandemic has led to an increase in the scale and scope of the macroeconomic challenges facing our member countries, I believe that Gita – universally recognised as one of the world’s leading macroeconomists – has precisely the expertise that we need for the FDMD role at this point. Indeed, her particular skill set – combined with her years of experience at the Fund as Chief Economist – make her uniquely well qualified. She is the right person at the right time.”

Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist, noted Gopinath’s contribution has already been exceptional, especially her “intellectual leadership in helping the global economy and the Fund to navigate the twists and turns of the worst economic crisis of our lives”.

She said Gopinath – also the first female Chief Economist in IMF history – has garnered respect and admiration across our member countries and the institution, with a proven track record in leading analytically rigorous work on a broad range of issues.

Georgieva said that the IMF’s Research Department had gone from “strength to strength”, particularly highlighting its contributions in multilateral surveillance via The World Economic Outlook, a new analytical approach to help countries respond to international capital flows (the integrated policy framework), and work on a Pandemic Plan to end the Covid-19 crisis by setting targets to vaccinate the world at feasible cost.

Born in Kolkata, Gopinath will take the lead on surveillance and related policies, oversee research and flagship publications and help foster standards for Fund publications.

Gopinath has a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 2001 after the B.A. from LSR and M.A. degrees from Delhi School of Economics and University of Washington. She is the younger of two daughters of T.V. Gopinath and Vijayalakshmi. They are both from Kannur, Kerala and settled in Mysuru.

Dr. Oz Seeks To Be First Muslim Elected To The US Senate

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Joseph HammondNation USA, Profile 0

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity surgeon and host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” has launched a campaign for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat now held by Pat Toomey, who is retiring. If Oz wins the Republican nomination, he will be the first Muslim to be nominated for a Senate seat by a major American political party.

The son of Turkish immigrants, Oz, 61, was a widely known cardiothoracic surgeon and Columbia University professor of medicine before rising to national prominence on television, initially as a frequent guest on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show before debuting his own syndicated show in 2009.

Oz’s faith is perhaps little known to the millions of viewers of his show but his role as one of the most prominent Muslims in American life has not gone unnoticed. He is one of roughly 40 Americans included in the 2022 edition of the World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims, an annual list put out by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, a Jordanian think tank

Announcing his Senate campaign on the Washington Examiner’s website on Tuesday (Nov. 30), Oz made an oblique reference to his Turkish American background, writing: “I witnessed my family’s sacrifices. My father grew up dirt poor (literally sleeping on a dirt floor) and loved this country as much as anyone already here.”

While his mother adhered to the secular vision of modern Turkey’s founder, Kemal Ataturk, Oz’s father was a strict Muslim, according to a 2012 interview for Henry Louis Gates Jr.’ PBS television program “Faces of America.” As a young man, Mehmet Oz said, he rebelled against both traditions and chose to align his views with Sufism, a mystical Islamic sect.

“I’ve struggled a lot with Muslim identity in part because within my family there were two different perspectives on it,” Oz told Gates.

In the same interview, he compared his views on Sunni Islam and Sufi beliefs to the relationship between the rules of American football and the game on the field. “Those are just the rules of the game. If it’s 100 yards by 30 yards, you can have hash marks every 10 yards. Those are just the rules. The actual game is (what) you engage with other human beings,” Oz said.

Oz has also cited Emanuel Swedenborg, the 18th-century Swedish theologian, as a spiritual influence, and he has featured Swedenborgian ideas on his show. The Swedenborgian Church of North America reported that Oz was introduced to the faith by his wife, Lisa, a member of the Swedenborgian community of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

He has also credited his wife with introducing him to Transcendental Meditation and reiki, a traditional Japanese practice of using “healing energy” for medicinal purposes.

“When I meditate, I go to that place where truth lives,” Oz said of his Transcendental Meditation practice. “I can see what reality really is, and it is so much easier to form good relationships then.”

In 2016, Oz interviewed then-presidential candidate Donald Trump on “The Dr. Oz Show” and discussed the results of a recent physical exam Trump had undergone. Two years later, President Trump named Oz to the Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

Oz subsequently endorsed the use of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to combat COVID-19, which Trump also touted while in office. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since cautioned against such use of the drug outside of a hospital setting, saying it can cause heart and other problems.

Oz appeared before a congressional investigative panel in 2014 to discuss his support for the weight-loss properties of green coffee supplements. He admitted that some of his language had been “flowery” and went further in defending his apparent endorsement of certain products as host of “The Dr. Oz Show.”

There is no clear front-runner in the Republican senatorial primary contest in Pennsylvania. Sean Parnell, who was endorsed by Trump, dropped out of the race last week after facing allegations of domestic abuse related to a custody battle. While Oz may now be the best-known name in the race, the longtime New Jersey resident only recently established a residence in Pennsylvania and could face accusations of carpetbagging.

Kamala Harris, First Ever Woman To Hold Presidential Powers In US

November 24, 2021December 1, 2021 Staff ReporterNation USA, Profile, Women 0

Vice President Kamala Harris became the first ever woman in the history of the United States to be given the Presidential powers, while President Joe Biden underwent a regular health check. Harris, 57, was in control for 85 minutes, while Biden was placed under anaesthesia for a routine colonoscopy on Friday, November 14th. Harris, the first woman, person of color and person of Indian American descent to be vice president, made history during the short time she is serving as acting president.

Biden’s doctor released a statement after the operation, saying he was healthy and able to execute his duties. The medical examination came on the eve of the president’s 79th birthday.

Harris carried out her duties from her office in the West Wing of the White House, officials said.

She is the first woman – and the first black and South Asian American – to be elected US vice-president.

President Joe Biden will briefly transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday when he undergoes a “routine colonoscopy” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House had announced.

Pursuant to the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, Biden signed a letter to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives saying he is unable to discharge his duties while under anesthesia, making Harris the acting president, and will send them another letter upon the conclusion of the procedure to resume his duties.

Biden drove early Nov. 19 morning to the medical center in the Washington suburbs for his first routine physical exam as president. Press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would be under anesthesia during the procedure and would transfer power to Harris.

“As was the case when President George W. Bush had the same procedure in 2002 and 2007, and following the process set out in the Constitution, President Biden will transfer power to the Vice President for the brief period of time when he is under anesthesia,” she said. “The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”

Biden, 78, had his last full exam in December 2019, when doctors found the former vice president to be “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” according to a doctor’s report at the time. Biden, who turns 79 Nov. 20, is the oldest person to serve as president, and interest in his health has been high since he declared his candidacy for the White House in 2019.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who has been Biden’s primary care physician since 2009, wrote in a three-page note that the then-presidential candidate was in overall good shape.

In that report, O’Connor said that since 2003, Biden has had episodes of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that’s potentially serious but treatable. At the time, O’Connor cited a list of tests that showed Biden’s heart was functioning normally and his only needed care was a blood thinner to prevent the most worrisome risk, blood clots or stroke.

Biden had a brush with death in 1988, requiring surgery to repair two brain aneurysms, weak bulges in arteries, one of them leaking. Biden has never had a recurrence, his doctor said, citing a test in 2014 that examined his arteries

Outstanding Indian Americans Honored At Kerala Center’s Annual Awards Banquet

November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

Six outstanding achievers in different categories and two doctors were bestowed special awards for their services during the pandemic at the Kerala Center’s 29th Annual Awards Banquet held at the Center’s auditorium in Elmont, NY on Saturday, November 13th, 2021

The honorees were: Dr. George M. Abraham, the President of the American College of Physicians was honored for outstanding achievements in Medicine and Professional Services; Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, who is a practicing physician, media personality and was the Republican nominee for NYC Public Advocate was honored for notable contributions in Public Service; Mayor Robin J. Elackatt, Mayor of City of Missouri City, Texas was honored for notable achievements in political leadership; Chandrika Kurup, the director of Noopura Indian Classical Dance School was honored for contributions and achievements in Performing Arts.

Others who were honored included: Mary Philip, who was a Lieutenant in the Indian Defense Force and a past President of the Indian Nurses Association of New York was honored for notable contributions in Nursing and Community Service; and Nandini P. Nair, Esq, who is a partner and co-chair of the Immigration and Naturalization practice group and serves on the Management Committee at Greenspoon Marder LLP was honored for notable services and achievements in Legal Services. Dr. Sabu Varghese and Dr. Blessy Mary Joseph, practicing physicians in New York were honored with Special Award for notable services during the Pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The program commenced with the American and Indian National anthems sung by Bailey Stephen and Lauren Joseph. President Alex K. Esthappan welcomed everybody after a brief introduction of the activities and goals of the Kerala Center. Indian Consul for Community Affairs, A. K. Vijayakrishnan, was the chief guest of the function. In his speech, Mr. Vijayakrishnan said that when the individuals of the community achieve excellence in their fields and do well for the community and society, it makes him happy. Their activities make relations between America and India stronger. The chief guest was introduced by Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran, the chairman of the Award Committee and Board of Directors.

Dr. George Abraham, who was also an awardee, was the keynote speaker. In his keynote speech, Dr. Abraham implored that we should strive to move forward by including everyone and treating everybody equally, and it is the duty of the leaders to make sure that this is happening. An organization gets much more strength when it becomes a melting pot of people and ideas, he concluded. Dr. George Abraham was introduced by Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the Trustee Board and Award Committee member and Consul A.K. Vijayakrishnan presented the award. Dr. Thomas Abraham also explained the process of selecting the awardees.

The award for Public Service went to Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil. She reflected in her speech the difficulties she and her family went through during the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in her determination to get involved in public service. She thanked the Malayali community for their tremendous support during her campaign for Public Advocate. Dr. Devi was introduced by Raju Thomas, Kerala Center Board Member and Attorney Appen Menon presented the award.

The award for political leadership went to Robin Elackatt, Mayor of City of Missouri City in Texas. He opinioned in his speech that when he came from the red state of Texas to the blue state of New York, he realized that many things he heard was just a story created by CNN. He added that Kerala Center’s award was the first recognition he got after becoming the mayor, whereas, prior to this event, he was receiving only blames. The Mayor was introduced by James Thomas, one of the youth representatives of the Kerala Center and Senator Kevin Thomas, the first Malayalee senator of New York, presented the award.

The award for legal services went to Nandini Nair, Esq. In her speech, she said that her parents, especially her mother who came alone to the United States with only $7 in her pocket to provide a better life for her family, is her guide and role model. She feels grateful that she is able to help so many new comers as an immigration attorney today. Nandini Nair was introduced by Dr. Theresa Antony, Kerala Center board member and Dr. Asha Ramesh of Sabinsa Corp. presented the award.

The award for Nursing and Community leadership went to Mary Philip. In her speech she stated that Kerala Center’s activities are unique in nature and separates it from other organizations. She specifically mentioned the recognition of Nurses and other front-line workers and organizing flag hoisting by retired Indian Defense Force members on Indian Independence Day celebration as examples. Mary Philip was introduced by Christy John, NP and Dr. Unni Moopan, Kerala Center Trustee, presented the award.

The award for performing Arts went to Chandrika Kurup. In her speech, Mrs. Kurup expressed a lot of satisfaction that her students are now running their own successful dance schools and other related artist works here in America and in Kerala. Chandrika was introduced by Annie Esthappan, one of the youth representatives of the Kerala Center and former student of Mrs. Kurup, and Abraham Philip, CPA, presented the award.

The Kerala Center also honored two doctors. Dr. Sabu Varghese and Dr. Blessy Mary Joseph, with special awards for their services during the pandemic. They were introduced by Benzy Thomas, DNP, whose description of her experience treating Covid-19 patients were so touching to the audience. When Dr. Sabu explained his experience with a covid patient who was a doctor and his colleague who had to be on ventilator for more than six months, it was heart breaking.

When Dr. Blessy spoke about her experience treating Covid patients, she could not control her emotions. Jose Kadapuram, Director of Kairali TV, USA, presented the award to Dr. Sabu and G. Mathai, trustee of Kerala Center, presented the award to Dr. Blessy Joseph. Their service to New Yorkers including Malayalees during the height of the pandemic is unforgettable. Each of the awardees was also presented a citation from New York State Senate and was presented by New York State Senator Kevin Thomas.

As part of the Award Ceremony, a Souvenir was released by the committee chairman P.T. Paulose along with other committee members, John Paul and Abraham Thomas. by giving a copy of the Souvenir to Dr. Susan George, spouse of the keynote speaker Dr. George Abraham.

In the absence of Founder President Mr. E. M. Stephen, who was in charge of the Center for the last thirty years, Executive Director Thambi Thalappillil and Director Abraham Thomas took charge of the event.

James Thottam was the chairman of the Award Dinner. The MC of the program, Daisy Palliparambil, impressed everybody with her outstanding performance. The songs sung by famous singer Shalini Rajendran and Lauren Joseph and dance by artists of the Noopura School of Dance made the awards night a more colorful one.

Secretary Jimmy John concluded the ceremony with a vote of thanks to the guests, awardees, audience and everyone worked so hard to make it a successful event. With dinner, the Award Night came to an end.

The Kerala Center, located at Elmont (Long Island, New York), is an IRS Tax-Exempt 501 (c) (3) organization serving the Keralites and the Indian American community in the tri-state New York area. It was inaugurated in 1993. Kerala Center’s awards are the most prestigious among Indian American Malayalees.

Dr. Rahul Gupta Confirmed By US Senate As Director of National Drug Control Policy

November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile 0

The United States Senate confirmed Dr. Rahul Gupta as Director of National Drug Control Policy on a bipartisan basis. Gupta is the first medical doctor to ever lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) on October 28, 2021.

“As a practicing physician and former health official who has served in rural communities, I have seen firsthand the heartbreaking toll of addiction and overdose in our communities, but I have also seen how we can save lives if we understand the individuals behind the statistics and meet them where they are,” said Dr. Gupta. “President Biden has made clear that addressing addiction and the overdose epidemic is an urgent priority. As Director, I will diligently work to advance high-quality, data-driven strategies to make our communities healthier and safer.”

Biography of Dr. Rahul Gupta

Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP, most recently served as the Chief Medical and Health Officer, Interim Chief Science Officer and Senior Vice President at March of Dimes. In his role, Dr. Gupta provided strategic oversight for March of Dimes’ domestic and global medical and public health efforts. He recently served as clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine as well as adjunct professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership in the School of Public Health at West Virginia University and visiting faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

A practicing primary care physician of 25 years, Dr. Gupta began his career in private practice in an underserved community of fewer than 2,000 residents. He has since served under two Governors as the Health Commissioner of West Virginia. As the state’s Chief Health Officer, he led the opioid crisis response efforts and launched a number of pioneering public health initiatives, including the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Birthscore program to identify high-risk infants. Dr. Gupta also led the development of the state’s Zika action plan and its preparedness efforts during the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak.

A national and global thought leader and a driver of innovative public policies on health issues, Dr. Gupta serves as an advisor to several organizations and task forces on local, national and international public health policy. The son of an Indian diplomat, Rahul was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At age 21, he completed medical school at the University of Delhi. He earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a global master’s of business administration degree from the London School of Business and Finance. He is married to Dr. Seema Gupta, a physician in the Veterans Administration for over a decade. They are the proud parents of identical twin sons, Arka and Drew.

Reshma Kosaraju Wins Children’s Climate Prize

November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterEnvironment, Profile, Youth 0

A teenager from Saratoga, California, has won the prestigious Children’s Climate Prize for Reshma Kosaraju, 15, of Saratoga, California, won the Children’s Climate Prize for 2021.

The Children’s Climate Prize is an international prize annually awarded to young people taking actions to bring sustainable solutions for the planet, according to the website of the organization.

Fifteen year-old Reshma Kosaraju’s project notes that fires are a natural part of a forest’s ecosystem, but the underlying conditions have changed.

The project, ‘AI against forest fires’ created by her can predict forest fires with almost 90% accuracy, said the press release.

Reshma uses open data, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, soil moisture and human behavior to, with the help of AI, calculate where and when the probability of a forest fire occurring is greatest.

“Reshma hopes the Children’s Climate Prize will draw attention to her project, so that more people can become aware of the AI model’s existence,” the website said.

Forest fires have become a global problem, causing over 339,000 premature deaths worldwide – and threatening biodiversity by destroying animals and nature, the press release says.

The jury which selected Reshma as the winners had the following to say about her work —

Climate change and forest fires mutually reinforce each other and wildfires, today, are in many locations larger, more intense and longer lasting. Forest fires have increasingly become a global and topical issue.

Reshma represents the best of youth entrepreneurship: brave, innovative and solution-oriented. Her model uses AI and technology in an innovative and savvy way in order to accurately predict the risk of forest fires while also accounting for the independent variables of climate, weather and human behavior. A clear and scalable business concept, with a global approach to accessibility. This is an example of an extraordinary and creative solution based on a systemized approach.

The prize celebrates and sheds light on young innovators, entrepreneurs, changemakers and conservators in order to spread hope and inspire others, the website said.

The Children’s Climate Foundation awards the prize annually, works for a long-term perspective and makes it possible for others to partner in the initiative.

The winners of the Children’s Climate Prize are celebrated at a gala event in Stockholm, Sweden. They receive a diploma, medal and prize money of SEK 100,000 to continue developing their projects.

The Children’s Climate Prize was founded in 2016 by Telge Energi, the Swedish frontrunner in renewable energy. Winners over the last several years have been of Indian origin – Aadya Joshi, 17, of Mumbai, in 2020 for her project ‘The Right Green’ on deforestation; Vinisha Umashankar,13, of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, also in 2020, for her project ‘The Solar Ironing Cart’; Shreya Ramachandran, 16, of Fremont, in 2019 for her project ‘The Grey Water Project’’; and Nav & Vihaan Agarwal, 12 and 15 years old respectively, also in 2019, for their project ‘One Step Greener.’

Biden Nominates Geeta Rao Gupta As Ambassador-At-Large For Global Women’s Issues

November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile, Women 0

President Joe Biden nominated Indian-American Geeta Rao Gupta, of Virginia, to be Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues, Nov. 15, 2021. Rao Gupta will have to be cleared by the U.S. Senate before taking up the position.

She is currently Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and Founder and Senior Advisor to the 3D Program for Girls and Women. Rao Gupta is also Senior Advisor to Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative for systems change, with a core focus on gender equality and women’s leadership.

Additionally, she is a member of the WHO Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for health emergencies, Chairs the Advisory Board of WomenLift Health, an initiative to promote women’s leadership in global health, and in 2019 was a lead author for the Lancet Series on Gender Equality, Norms and Health.

From 2011 to 2016, Rao Gupta served as Deputy Executive Director at UNICEF and for a year before that was a senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Prior to that, for over a decade, she was the president of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) based in Washington, D.C. Rao Gupta earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Bangalore University and an M.Phil. and M.A. from the University of Delhi.

Mythili Sankaran And Serrena Iyer Featured Among Forbes ‘Culture 50 Champions’

November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

Forbes magazine recently announced its Culture 50 Champions, with Indian Americans Mythili Sankaran and Serrena Iyer among the honorees. The list honors Black and Brown industry leaders for their standout impact and service in underserved communities.

From tech innovators and TV executives to social justice activists and physicists, these 50 Champions are not only excelling in their fields, but they’re using their platforms to actively shift the narrative of overlooked and underserved communities, the magazine said.

“The champions on this list are not only driving their respective fields forward, but they’re effecting real change in Black and Brown communities by increasing access to their crafts, using their voices and resources to invest in underserved communities, and intentionally building community to eradicate the racial wealth gap and create Black generational wealth,” Ali Jackson-Jolley, assistant managing editor of Forbes, said in a statement.

The Culture 50 Champions list is broken down into three categories: Superstars; Blazing Stars; and Rising Stars. A strategic leader and angel fund investor, Sankaran is the co-founder and CEO of neythri.org, a professional network for South Asian women aimed at connecting them to the resources they need.

Forbes says that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sankaran “led her 2,000-member organization in hosting 100 events aimed at connecting women in business to the resources they need.” In March 2021, she also launched the Neythri Futures Fund, a venture fund that positions South Asian women as key stakeholders and investors, it said.

She currently works as an independent advisor and consulting CXO to early-stage startups and advises them on operations, product ideation, fundraising, and business development.

She is a member of several women-led investor networks that support women entrepreneurs and is actively involved in several non-profits focused on girls’ education. She serves on the Regional Board of Room to Read and is a mentor for the Duke Technology Scholars program and a global advisor to How Women Lead, her bio said. Sankaran has a master’s degree in physics from Texas Tech University and an Executive MBA certificate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Iyer, who works at Netflix’s animation strategy department, is head of development at Off Their Plate’s Los Angeles branch. OTP is a volunteer corps of professionals, entrepreneurs, engineers and creatives working to build a more equitable food economy by empowering restaurant owners to cook nutritious meals that are donated to food-insecure communities, the bio notes.

Iyer told Voyage LA that she had only been in Los Angeles for a year and a half when the COVID-19 crisis hit.

“In the first couple weeks, I noticed classmates posting about Off Their Plate in other cities,” she said. She said OTP was launched in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 15, by her “incredible HBS (Harvard Business School) classmate, Natalie Guo.”

She told Voyage LA that when she read about OTP, she thought “it was an incredibly elegant way to help a lot of people.” When she messaged Guo to suggest a restaurant in Los Angeles, Iyer found out that the nonprofit had “just launched” in the city, and were looking for someone to take over running and growing the operation. That’s when Iyer joined them.

“Given I still have a day job that I love, I was a bit daunted by the task,” she told Voyage LA, adding that she realized “this was one of the most impactful ways I could personally help fight this crisis that’s affecting so many people. So I felt compelled to jump in and do my best.”

Calling it her “one of the most rewarding experiences.”

Iyer told Voyage LA of the growth OTP LA has made in a short time. “In only a few short weeks, our LA team has grown to be 25-strong, made up of folks ranging from management consultants and lawyers, to culinary students and college freshmen, every single one of them, an unpaid volunteer balancing OTP with work or school,” she said. “Because of this team and the broader OTP movement, we’ve grown rapidly. We are working with 25 hospitals/health clinics and 19 restaurants across the county,” according to the report.

Qaisar Nizami From Kashmir Nominated For Prestigious Grammy Award

November 18, 2021 Staff ReporterEntertainment, Profile 0

In a first for the beauteous valley of Kashmir, renowned Kashmiri singer-musician Qaisar Nizami has been nominated for the prestigious Grammy award for his song ‘Nazninay’ (O Beauty), joint collaboration and part of US-based music composer and santoor player Ehsaan Matoori’s multinational ‘The Voice and Bridges’ project.

While the formal announcement of the nominations for the 64^th Grammy Awards will occur at an event that will be live-streamed on November 23, upon receiving the nomination Nizami shared the statement saying, “It is a matter of joy that the famous composer Ehsaan Matoori in collaboration with the greatest musicians of the world brought out an album in which many countries lend their voices and the voice of Qaisar Nizami, the legendary singer of the Valley, also is included in the album titled ‘The Voices and Bridges’, which speaks in itself about the music and poetry.”

In the history of Grammy awards, this is the first time that a Kashmiri singer has been featured in the list of nominations. Nizami urges all Kashmiri music patrons to vote online saying, “Never before has any singer of the Valley had the privilege of having had any of his songs chosen for the Grammy Awards.” The first-round voting for the nominations ended on November 5, with the next round scheduled any time between December 6, 2021, and January 5, 2022, while the event is slated for January 31, 2022.

The singer-musician connected with Matoori when he found himself stranded in the US, where he had arrived to perform in a concert at the University of North Texas College of Music, Texas after the first Covid-19 lockdown in India was announced. A professor at the university, Sadaf Munshi, introduced him to Matoori, who was working on ‘The Voice and Bridges’ project since 2019. ‘Nazninay’ has lyrics in both Kashmiri and Farsi; the Kashmiri lyrics are by beloved Kashmiri poet Ibrahim Miskeen’s ‘Pur Mah’ (meaning Full Moon) alternating with the late Iranian poet Fereydoon Moshiri’s ‘Beneshin Mara’ (Stay With Me) Farsi lines.

Dr. Suresh Reddy Assumes Charge As President of Indian American Medical Association, Illinois

November 17, 2021November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Health, Profile 0

(Chicago, IL: November 15, 2022) “I would like to stand on the top of shoulders of 39 Past Presidents so I can see farther,” Dr. Suresh Reddy, a Neuro Interventional Radiologist practicing in the Chicago area and a past President of national AAPI, said immediately after assuming office as the President of Indian American Medical Association, Illinois during a colorful ceremony held in Oakbrook, IL on Saturday, November 13^th.

“As the President, one of my main goal is to revitalize local Chapters that are the backbone for the national organization; help make the local Chapters financially viable as funds have dwindled due to pharma support; and to bring in younger physicians into the fold,” the young and dynamic President told a select group of audience who had come to cheer him and the new executive committee.

Dr. Reddy then went on to introduce his Executive Committee Team: Dr. Piyush Vyas, whom Dr. Reddy described as “my older brother and professional mentor” will serve as the President. Dr. Radhika Chimata will serve as the Secretary,. While the Secretary-Elect is Dr. Dilip Shah.

The new Treasurer is Dr. Meher Medavaram and the Treasurer-Elect is Dr. Rajeev Kumar. The new chairs of the committee include Drs. Aparna Natarajan, Srilatha Gundala, Tapan Parikh, and Neetha Dhananjaya.

Dr. Reddy expressed his deep gratitude to the past presidents with whom he had worked: Drs. Samir Shah, Tapas Das Gupta, Sreenivas Reddy, Niranjana Shah, Geetha Wadhwani and Suneela Harsoor.

“I would also like to thank all the leaders of IAMA, especially Drs, Vemuri Murthy, Hanumadass, Rohit Vasa, Satya Ahuja, Shastri Swaminathan, Khandelwal, Arvind Goyal, Annita John, Utpal Parikh, Sukanya Reddy and several others.” He had a special note for Dr. Lalmalani. “I would like to thank my spiritual guru and political mentor, our Mayor of Oak Brook Dr. Lalmalani.”

Dignitaries, who attended the ceremony include Consul General of India in Chicago, Mr. Amit Kumar, US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois State representative Deanne Mazzochi, famed Infectious Diseases/COVID Specialist Dr. Vishnu Chundi and several others, including

Dr. Ranga Reddy, Past President of AAPI and Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Secretary of AAPI. Dr. Reddy thanked the sponsors of the event, Hanmi Bank and ATG tours.

Educated, trained, and board certified in Neuro-Radiology, Interventional Radiology and Interventional Neuro-Radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, Dr. Reddy had served as the Chief of Interventional Neuroradiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and on Faculty at Harvard Medical School for almost a decade. Dr. Reddy has been involved in the highly specialized techniques and art of treating aneurysms and strokes in the complex part of our body, the Brain. He is also extensively trained to perform complex procedures in the most inaccessible regions of the spine.

Author of many international medical journal articles, Dr. Reddy has traveled extensively, giving specialty lectures on the complex procedures that he does. Active in teaching and mentoring many medical students and residents, Dr. Reddy has received numerous teaching and mentoring awards. To his credit, he is a four-time recipient of “Faculty award for excellence in teaching” awarded by the Harvard Medical Students and Residents.

Dr. Suresh Reddy MD, MHM (Health Management and Policy), who completed his medical education in India at Kakatiya / Osmania Medical Colleges, before immigrating to the United States, currently serving as the Chief of Radiology at Hines Medical Center, Associate Professor of Radiology at Loyola Medical Center in Chicago, has had many years of service to the medical community and to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and IAMA IL chapter. As an exceptional leader of AAPI, he has taken up several worthy causes, including clearing the “Green Card” backlog for Indian physicians in Rural America.

His strongest attribute is building bridges with the local chapters, which he claims to the backbone of the National organization. To his credit, he added 8 new regional chapters to the national organization. In addition, Dr Reddy has worked closely with AAPI members over the years to successfully organize CME cruises to Alaska, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, Hawaii, and Antarctica; along with CME trips to Israel and Jordan. Proceeds from all of these trips were donated back to AAPI. Dr Reddy firmly believes that such trips build a closer bond between AAPI members and their families.

In the summer of 2019, Dr. Reddy organized The Global Health Summit in Hyderabad, an educational event with numerous workshops. Vice President of India, Sri Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minster of Health, Dr. Harshvardhan, both addressed the highly successful Global Health Summit. In October of 2019, he played a key role along with the Indian Resuscitation Council to train almost 500,000 lay people in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation in India.

Assuming charge as the President of AAPI, nation’s largest physician organization, when the COVID Pandemic hit the world, impacting every aspect of life on a global level, he and his team faced a number of challenges in carrying out their plans during his term. Dr. Reddy and his team were right on task, and Dr Reddy devoted a significant part of the year to creating stability and leading AAPI to the next level. Never in the history of AAPI had so many educational programs been organized. Never had so many specialists shared knowledge so actively, with the participation of thousands of doctors from across the world.

It was the first time ever that a sitting Prime Minister of India addressed an AAPI event, when Shri Narendra Modi spoke at the Summer Summit organized by AAPI. Others who addressed the AAPI Summer Summit included Dr. Susan Bailey, Dr. Patricia Harris, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Soumya Swaminathan from the WHO.

His leadership and foresight were deeply appreciated as AAPI became the first major organization to call for universal masking. In this regard, AAPI provided free masks to thousands of health care workers. AAPI members have honored more than 10,000 nurses in over 100 hospitals across more than 40 states by sponsoring lunches for them during the Nurses Week. He was instrumental in organizing the Obesity prevention programs in all continenets, sharing medical knowledge globally, team-building activities such as the Share-A-Blanket program, medical education programs such as CPR training, morale building programs like mentoring a future medical students, and India heritage programs like Independence Day celebrations.

Collaborating with the Indian Embassy in DC, under his leadership, more than 1000 prescriptions were written for Indian visitors who were stranded in the USA due to COVID Pandemic. He, along with his team created the “AAPI Endowment Fund,” raising and donating $300,000 with a goal of enabling his successors to be less burdened with fundraising and more focused on AAPI’s mission of Education, Mentoring, Research, Charity, and Service.

Dr. Reddy currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife Leela and son Rohun. He is currently a Trustee of the Village of Oak Brook, Lead of Chiefs of Radiology for the states of Illinois and Wisconsin Veterans Administration, and has participated in innumerable community events. He has organized Independence Day celebrations and has worked with the IAMA team over the years to support numerous activities. He also organized numerous walkathons to honor our Veterans.

IAMA-IL is a non-profit organization comprised of Illinois physicians, fellows, residents, and medical students of Indian origin who are committed to professional excellence and quality patient care. IAMA-IL offers many opportunities for your organization to begin and grow a connection with our members and the communities we serve. We like to partner with organizations and people that strive for similar goals including a commitment to excellence, education, research and serving the community.

Dr. Suresh Reddy has made the Indian community proud with his innumerable contributions and he is ready to serve IAMA as its 40th President. He credits his track record of almost 6 years as a foot soldier in IAMA, as it has laid the foundation for this upcoming year. Dr. Suresh Reddy’s theme for IAMA under his leadership is, “Ask what you can do for IAMA, and not IAMA can do for you.”

China’s Xi Jinping Cements His Status With Historic Resolution

November 17, 2021November 24, 2021 Staff ReporterNation, Profile 0

The Chinese Communist Party has passed a “historical resolution”, cementing Xi Jinping’s status in political history. The document, a summary of the party’s 100-year history, addresses its key achievements and future directions.

It is only the third of its kind since the founding of the party – the first was passed by Mao Zedong in 1945 and the second by Deng Xiaoping in 1981.

It was passed on Thursday, November 11th at the sixth plenary session, one of China’s most important political meetings. As only the third Chinese leader to have issued such a resolution, the move aims to establish Mr Xi as an equal to party founder Mao and his successor Deng.

“Just like the previous two resolutions, [this resolution] will play an important role in helping to unite the theory, will and action of the party – to achieve future progress and in realising the second centenary goal and the great Chinese dream of rejuvenation,” senior party official Qu Qingshan said at a press conference on Friday.

The party has previously set two centenary goals: that China would become a “moderately prosperous” society by 2021, and the second, that it would be a “fully developed, rich, and powerful” nation by 2049.

Some observers see the resolution as Mr Xi’s latest attempt to turn back decades of decentralization by Chinese leaders that began under Deng and continued through other leaders like Jiang Zemin – a sign that China might be moving back to a so-called cult of personality.

The four-day closed door session gathered more than 370 full and alternate members of the party’s 19th Central Committee – the country’s top leadership.

It was the last major meeting of party leaders ahead of the national congress next year, where Xi is expected to seek a historic third term as president.

In 2018, China scrapped the two-term limit on the presidency, effectively allowing him to remain in power for life.

Why is the resolution significant?

Essentially, it cements Mr Xi’s hold on power, experts told the BBC. “He is trying to cast himself as the hero in the epic of China’s national journey,” said Adam Ni, editor of China Neican, a newsletter on Chinese current affairs.

“By pushing through a historical resolution that puts himself at the centre of the grand narrative of the Party and modern China, Mr Xi is demonstrating his power. But the document is also a tool to help him retain this power,” he said.

Dr Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore said the latest move set Mr Xi apart from other previous Chinese leaders.

“[Former leaders] Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin never had as much consolidated authority as Mr Xi. However, it is unclear whether they had the inclination to do so even if presented with similar opportunities,” said Dr Chong.

“There is certainly a lot of emphasis on Mr Xi as a person at present. The degree to which it becomes more formally institutionalised is what many are watching out for at the moment.”

Both Deng and Mao, who passed previous resolutions, used it as a way to break with the past.

The first resolution, adopted at a party plenum in 1945, helped Mao consolidate his leadership so that he had full authority when he declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

When Deng took over as leader in 1978, he initiated the second resolution in 1981 where he criticised Mao’s “errors” during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, which led to millions of deaths. Deng also set the foundations for China’s economic reforms.

Unlike the former resolutions, however, Mr Xi is looking instead to emphasize continuity with his resolution, said Mr Ni.

After all, Mr Xi’s report comes at a time when China has become a global power – something scarcely imaginable just a few decades ago.

“The country stands at a point where it can now look back at significant growth in its economy, military, and recognition of its status as a major power, with the CCP as well as its leadership deeply entrenched with no opposition domestically,” said Dr Chong.

“In some ways, the CCP with Mr Xi at its helm has reached a pinnacle of achievement for the party and for China.”

Still, politics can be “surprising”, experts said, and despite all the evidence of Mr Xi retaining leadership for the foreseeable future, anything can happen. “China’s elite politics is opaque, so there is much we don’t know,” said Mr Ni.

Rajeshwar Prasad Presented Life Time Achievement Award At NIAASC Annual Meeting In New York

November 17, 2021November 24, 2021 Gunjan RastogiCommunity, Economy, Profile 0

Rajeshwar Prasad, founder and chairman of The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, During the 32nd annual Conference and 23^rd Annual meeting of NIAASC on Sunday, November 7^th,2021 at the India Home in Jamaica, New York. He was recognized for his 23 years of admirable and outstanding community outlook and service, creating and nurturing NIAASC and dedicated to all seniors across the USA.

Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, who is the founder of India Home nonprofit organization and a current board member of NIAASC hosted the conference, which was informative and entertaining with vegan breakfast and lunch served. Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan, Vice president – NIAASC was the coordinator of the conference and coordinated the event effectively and flawlessly.

The conference started with opening remarks and greetings by NIAASC Chairman and founder Rajeshwar Prasad. in his speech, Prasad reflected on the growth of the organization since its inception in 1998. He stated “NIAASC helps Senior Citizens and Senior Associations through information, referral and advocacy services “. Following the Chairman’s speech, Mrs. Gunjan Rastogi, the current president of NIAASC welcomed the attendees and echoed the chairman’s message and reaffirmed and reminded everyone that NIAASC is a unique nonprofit organization that provides resources for all the seniors while collaborating with other nonprofit organizations and this was well received and acknowledged.

The main speaker was Dr. Vikas Malik, a board-certified medical professional in both Child-Adolescent Psychiatry and Adult Psychiatry and his PowerPoint presentation on Mental Health in light of COVID-19 captivated the audience of roughly 70 physical attendees and 30 virtual attendees, who appreciated the information and knowledge that was succinctly explained. His presentation was followed by Dr. Swaminathan Giridharan, a Geriatric specialist, who spoke about COVID-19 Vaccination. The conference also focused on physical health and a presentation by Mrs. Suman Munjal, president of World Vegan Vision, who discussed the health benefits pertaining to a vegan diet.

The occasion marked NIAASC honoring Mr. Mukund Mehta, President of Indo-American Senior citizen center, a nonprofit organization and the President of India Home. In introducing Mr. Mukund Mehta, Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi informed the audience about his active involvement as a director with the Federation of Indian American Seniors Associations of North America (FISANA).

NIAASC’s goal of collaboration with other organizations was evident as the conference was well attended by members of the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA). Members included current executive board members and past presidents who made the effort to connect via zoom. NFIA attendees belonged to different states/different time zones and remained present throughout the duration of the program. Also in attendance were members from several other organizations such as World Vegan Vision (WVV) and India Association of Long Island (IALI). Many IALI members attended In-person and on Zoom, including nine past presidents. Other NIAASC Board members that joined via zoom were: Satpal and Satya Malhotra(New York), Baldev Seekri ( Florida), Chandrakant Shah (Florida), Santosh Kumar (Chicago), Asha Samant (New Jersey ) and Jyotsna Kalavar (Indiana).

Lunch was followed by Diwali cultural program that was presented by Ms. Jyoti Gupta and her team consisted of several singers, Dr.Jag Kalra, Kul Bhooshan Sharma, Gautam Chopra and Raj Dhingra. The group entertained and regaled the audience with lively Bollywood songs. Music program was followed by Diwali Felicitation by Nilima Madan.

In her closing remarks, Gunjan Rastogi thanked the sponsors that supported the entire event financially and also thanked the India Home volunteers who had helped set up the venue while precluding any hiccups.

The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Harbachan Singh, NIAASC Secretary who appreciated the presence of large number of audiences, sponsors, and well-wishers.

Upon adjournment of the conference, the 23^rd general body meeting was conducted by NIAASC president, Gunjan Rastogi, who requested Mr. Rajeshwar Prasad to present the report of nominating committee, since the chairman of the nominating committee Chandrakant Shah, was not able to the report due to some technical issue. Rajeshwar Prasad informed the members that as per NIAASC constitution and bylaws; 1/3^rd members retire every year, but based on eligibility criteria, members are eligible to be re-elected for another term of three years that resulted in all the retiring members Gunjan Rastogi, Bhavani Srinivasan, E.M. Stephen, Santosh Kumar, and Rajeshwar Prasad to be elected for three additional years and was approved by the General Body. For additional information about NIAASC, please email the president at gunjan.p.rastogi@gmail.com.

KJ Yesudas, With “Divine Voice” Marks For 60 Years As Playback Singer

November 16, 2021 Staff ReporterEntertainment, Profile 0

KJ Yesudas’ voice has seeped into the collective conscious of the Malayali, infusing melody into every emotion and mood. For nearly 60 years, he has been regaling music buffs with his mesmerising music, a voice that is every Malayali’s pride. Not a day passes in Kerala without one getting to listen to him somewhere.

Yesudas, Dasettan to his admirers, spanning generations, has worked with the pioneers of the film music industry and the new-gen music directors with equal felicity. His voice lends itself well to both Indian classical, devotional and popular songs. He has recorded more than 40,000 songs in many languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tulu, Russian, Arabic, Latin and English through his long career.

He has witnessed the digitalisation of the music industry and the rise and fall of trends and fads. But that voice has never faltered. Whether it be in expressing his concern over an issue or an appeal, his is the voice that the Malayali listens to.

Scores of music fans, including Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, greeted and wished one of India’s most enduring talents, K.J. Yesudas, on Sunday, on the occasion of the latter completing 60 celebrated years as a playback singer.

Mohanlal, in fact, went beyond just wishing the living legend and paid tribute to the master musician by posting a video of him singing some of the songs that Yesudas had sung in his films. Posting the video titled ‘Kalpadukal: A humble tribute to Dasettan’s 60th year in music’ on YouTube and posting its link on Twitter, Mohanlal said, “Here goes ‘Kalpadukal’ along with my most sincere wishes on the continued legendary journey of yours.”

The actor did not stop with that. He even wrote a handwritten letter and posted it on Twitter. In his video tribute to Yesudas, Mohanlal said he considered the brilliant singer to be a ‘Manasa Guru’ (teacher of all humanity) and shared that he would see many of Yesudas’s concert on VHS cassettes, not to sing or imitate him, but to look at his body language and his facial expressions while singing a number, and learn from them.

Such lessons had helped him, Mohanlal said, when he was doing films such as ‘Bharatham’ and ‘His Highness Abdullah’, and if people appreciated him for his work in these films, the credit must go to Yesudas.

J. Yesudas was born in Fort Kochi, Kerala, to Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth. His father, who was a well-known Malayalam classical musician and stage actor, was his first guru. Later, he joined the Music Academy in Thrippunithura and underwent training.For a brief period, he was with Sri Vechur Hari Hara Subramania Iyer, after which he took training from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, a maestro of classical music. Although he is a Carnatic music expert, he mastered in Hindustani music as well.
Career
Yesudas began his career in playback singing in Kollywood in the early 60’s; and by mid 70’s, he entered Bollywood. He has bagged seven National Film Awards for the best singer category in the Indian film industry. In 2006, he sang 16 film songs in four South Indian languages on the same day at AVM Studio, Chennai.

Yesudas has performed in many major cities around the world. In his music concerts in the Middle East, he sings Arabic songs in the Carnatic style. He frequently dons the role of a cultural ambassador of India through his numerable performances abroad by promoting Indian music.

He is the only singer who has been accorded the title Asthana Gayakan (official singer) of Kerala state. He has been awarded the Padma Sri (1973) and Padma Bhushan (2002).

In 1965, he was invited by the Soviet Union government to perform at music concerts in various cities in the USSR and also sang a Russian song over Radio Kazakhstan. In 1970, he was nominated to head the Sangeetha Nataka Academy of Kerala and was the youngest person ever to occupy that post.

In 1971, Yesudas with his musical troupe travelled all over Kerala to raise funds for the Indian Prime Minister’s National Defense Fund during the Indo-Pakistan War. He also became the senate member in the International Parliament for Safety and Peace.

He has taken the words of Sree Narayana Guru, “One Religion, One Caste for all humans” to heart. On November 14, 1999, Yesudas was presented with an honorary award by the UNESCO for “Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace” at the “Music for Peace” event in Paris, a concert held to mark the dawn of the new millennium and whose attendees included artistes such as Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Montserrat Caballé, and Zubin Mehta.

His unparalleled record of winning state awards for best singer in five regional languages of India and winning National awards for best singer seven times in three languages places him among the most versatile singers India has ever seen.

Role Models

Shree Narayana Guru’s great message, “One caste, One religion and One God for all Humans”, influenced young Yesudas in his dealings with his fellow men. He had his own heroes among the musicians too. Mohammed Rafi, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar and Balamurali Krishna are the ones he admired the most.

Scholarship

He completed the Ganabooshanam course at R.L.V. Music Academy, Thripunithura, Cochin. And he graduated from the Sree Swathithirunal Music Academy, Trivandrum. Trained under well-known musicians like K.R. Kumaraswamy (former principal of the Music College, Kochi), Kunjuvelan Aasan (a disciple of Nagaswera Vidwan Rajaratnam Pillai), Augustine Joseph, Ramakutti Bagavathar, Sivaraman Nayar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Yesudas was the audience’s favourite from day 1.

Personal Life

Yesudas is married to Prabha for more than 30 years. They have three sons, Vinod, Vijay and Vishal. The second son Vijay Yesudas, is a budding musician. The family is currently settled in Chennai and Kerala. He also owns estates in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, and Flower Mound, TX, USA, for personal and business reasons.

Music Company

In 1980, Yesudas established the Tharangni Studio at Trivandrum. In 1992, the office and studio were moved to Chennai and the company was incorporated in the US in 1998. Tharangni Studio and Tharangni Records became a recording center in Kerala which, for the first time, brought out audio cassettes of Malayalam film songs in stereo. The record company also had a voice mixing studio in Chennai, Studio27. The studio continues to produce and present events of Yesudas, both for film and Indian classical music concerts throughout the world.

Keralite Priest Appointed Bishop Of Loughborough In England

November 16, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile, Religion 0

An Anglican priest, who was brought up in a leprosy hospital in Bengaluru where his mother was a nurse at the hospital, will be the next Bishop of Loughborough in the UK.

Reverend Malayil Lukose Varghese Muthalaly, 42, who will be consecrated a Bishop in January 2022, will be the youngest Bishop of the Church of England. A 10, Downing Street announcement on November 12 stated that Queen Elizabeth II has approved his appointment.

Known as Saju among friends and family, Rev Muthalaly is currently the Vicar of St Mark’s, Gillingham in the diocese of Rochester in England. Ordained in the Church of England in 2008, he has served at St. Marks for six years after curacies in the dioceses of Blackburn and Carlisle.

Speaking to the media, Rev Muthalaly said: “It is an honor and joy to be invited to become the next Bishop of Loughborough and I am looking forward to getting to know the people of Leicestershire. My priorities in ministry are profoundly relational. If I have felt anointed anything, it is informing friendships, gathering God’s people, and creating hospitable and loving spaces in which people can grow in faith, hope, justice, and love.”

The Bishop-designee also said: “I have a deep desire for the flourishing of all people particularly the poor, those at the margins of our world.” He said that poor people are not just poor people but mothers, artists, gifted leaders, and friends who are passionate about the environment.

The Bishop-designee was brought up in a Syrian Orthodox Church in Kerala that traces its root to St Thomas the Apostle who is believed to have brought the gospel to the region in the first century.

He studied at the Southern Asia Bible college in Bengaluru and trained for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

An avid cricketer, he is currently the captain of the Rochester and Canterbury diocesan cricket team. Married to Katy, he has four children.

Indian American Scientist Named Primary Contributor To Invention Of Moderna’s Covid Vaccine

November 16, 2021 ARUL LOUISHealth, Profile, Science 0

An Indian American scientist has been identified by Moderna as the primary contributor to its Covid-19 vaccine. A filing by the company for its patent application for the coronavirus vaccine using the revolutionary RNA technique listed Pune-educated bioinformatics scientist Mihir Metkar as the “first named inventor,” a designation that usually recognizes the primary contributor to the invention.

He is also listed as one of the inventors in two other Covid-19 vaccine patent applications by Moderna to the U.S. Patent Office. Moderna is of the new class of vaccines that use what is called messenger RNA (mRNA) that cause the body to create some proteins similar to that in the Covid-19 virus and trigger the body’s immune system to make antibodies that will fight the coronavirus if it invades the body. (Conventional vaccines use either dead viruses or parts of them or a modified version of the gene of a different virus.)

Metkar’s identification as the “first named inventor” is in the document filed by Moderna to dispute the U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health assertion that its scientists should also be credited as inventors of the vaccine, which was developed in collaboration with it and with $1.53 billion provided by the administration of former President Donald Trump under the Operation Warp Speed program to quickly produce vaccines.

Vladimir Presnyak and Guillaume Stewart-Jones are listed after him in the original application for the patent. Metkar received his MSc degree from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology at the Savitribai Phule Pune University and worked at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune as a project assistant before coming to the United States, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He did his Ph.D. at the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and worked there as a post-doctoral fellow, before joining Moderna in 2018, the profile said. In a separate patent filing, Moderna listed Sunny Himansu, who has an MBBS degree, as one of the two inventors of the Betacoronavirus Vaccine.

Moderna’s vaccine is one of the two main vaccines in the U.S. and about 164 million doses of it have been given so far in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. In addition, millions of people have been vaccinated in Europe and elsewhere with the Moderna vaccine.

The other main vaccine used in the U.S. is the Pfizer-Biontech, which was developed in Germany and uses mRNA. A third vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is also used in the U.S. It was developed by J&J’s Jansen Pharmaceutical, whose global head of research and development is Mathai Mammen.

The patent document naming Metkar as the “first named inventor” was filed on behalf of Moderna by an intellectual property law firm asserting that the three NIH scientists who collaborated with them should not be considered co-inventors as the NIH has asked.

If the NIH scientists are recognized as co-inventors, the NIH and the government may be entitled to receive a share of royalties from the use of the patents and also be able to allow others to make the vaccine.

An NGO, Public Citizen, has pointed out in a letter to the head of the NIH that co-ownership of the patent “can empower the U.S. government to authorize” other manufacturers around the world to use some of the patents to make the vaccine. The group said that with “huge gaps in global vaccine access” the need for the government to exercise control over the vaccine technology “only grows more urgent.”

Sam Joshi Elected Mayor of Edison, NJ; Aftab Pureval Wins As Mayor of Cincinnati, OH

November 10, 2021November 17, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Nation USA, Profile 0

Aftab Pureval of Indian origin has been elected as the first ever person of Asian heritage to be elcted as the Mayor of Cincinnati, OH, while Sam Joshi becomes the first Indian-American to be Mayor of Edison, the 5th largest municipality in New Jersey, during the elections held on Nov. 2nd, 2021.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Joshi was well in front of Republican Keith Hahn and independent candidate Christo Makropoulos.

Joshi had 10,930 votes, while Hahn had 9,459 and Makropoulos, 301. The race was to replace Democratic Mayor Thomas Lankey whose term ends Dec. 31. Lankey did not seek reelection.

When sworn in on Jan. 1, Joshi, 32, will become the township’s youngest mayor and the first South Asian to hold the position. Previously Jun Choi, the township’s first Asian American mayor, was the youngest to serve in the post.

“I am honored and humbled to be elected as the next mayor of Edison Township,” Joshi said in a Facebook post.

Joshi has been serving as the Vice President of the Town Council, and during his campaign he promised to stabilize taxes, invest in infrastructure, and stop ‘overdevelopment’, launch municipal broadband, and celebrate Edison’s diversity fighting discrimination and hate crime.

Joshi’s popularity was evident n June this year, when during the primaries, he defeated another Indian-American aspirant Mahesh Bhagia by 63 percent of the votes to 34 percent, despite Bhagia being the municipal chair of the Democrats.

A ‘son of the soil’, Joshi was born and raised in Edison. Joshi was elected as an at-large Councilmember at 27 years old, making him the youngest elected official in Edison’s history.

Since joining the Edison Township Council in 2017, Joshi’s biography on his website says, he has worked to keep taxes low, helped women and minority owned businesses get on their feet, and promoted green energy throughout the township.

Among the many voluntary services he has been involved in, is as an Edison Police 9-1-1 Tele-communicator from 2010-2011, at the Central Command Office for all public safety calls, including police, fire, and EMS, providing first responders with additional information on each call.

He also served on the Fair Rental Housing Authority Board from 2010-2015 and the Edison Zoning Board from 2016 until he was elected to the Edison Township Council.

At 39, Pureval will replace longtime mayor John Cranley, who is term-limited from running again this year. Pureval defeated David Mann, who has an array of political experience — serving as Cincinnati’s mayor from 1980 to 1982, and again in 1991. He’s also served on Cincinnati City Council from 1974 until 1992, then elected in 2013 and reelected in 2017.

In his acceptance speech Tuesday, Pureval thanked Mann for his career in public service. “We also want to thank the voters of Cincinnati who tonight voted a mandate for a new day in our city,” Pureval said. “We spent the last year talking about our bold progressive vision for moving Cincinnati forward. Our comprehensive plans for public safety, affordable housing, the environment and economic recovery with racial equity at the center of the frame, and the voters of Cincinnati resoundingly supported that vision.”

The son of Indian and Tibetan immigrants, Pureval becomes the first Indian-American and Tibetan, in fact, the first Asian to be elected Mayor of the city. Currently, he is Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, a position not held by a Democrat for more than 100 years. “Words can’t express how honored and excited I am to be the next Mayor of Cincinnati. Tonight, we made history! Let’s get to work!” Pureval tweeted as the results became public.

Congratulations poured in including from the likes of former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Sherrod, D-Ohio, who had supported Pureval. “Win or lose, fighting for what’s right is always worth it. Congratulations to @ericadamsfornyc, @wutrain, @shontelmbrown, and @aftabpureval for historic wins …” Clinton tweeted.

Sen. Brown tweeted, “Congratulations to #canarycandidate @AftabPureval on your victory. He represents the future of Cincinnati and will fight for all workers and families in the Queen City.”

Born and raised in Ohio, Pureval is an attorney and former prosecutor. He has been awarded the NAACP Theodore Berry Award for Service and has been recognized by the Business Courier as one of their 40 under 40.

Pureval is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. In May 2018, he won the Democratic primary unopposed in his party’s bid to turn a Red seat Blue when he ran and lost in his race against incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Chabot. President Obama was among those who endorsed his candidacy then.

“We have a very clear vision for pushing Cincinnati forward as annunciated with our three comprehensive plans,” he said in an interview at the Board of Elections where he greeted early voters. “And we’re talking about substantive, innovative, creative ideas in order to accomplish that.” Pureval described his campaign as one that offers voters a fresh approach to what ails city government. “Our future is bold, it’s diverse, it’s dynamic.”

Sterley Stanley, Suhas Subramanyam, Usha Reddi, Aditi Bussells Win In Sate Elections

November 10, 2021November 17, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Nation USA, Profile 0

Indian American incumbents Usha Reddi in Manhattan, Kansas, and Sterley Stanley in New Jersey were victorious in their bids for another term in office, Aditi Srivastav Bussells won a council seat in South Carolina, while Nalini Joseph fell short in her race during the Nov. 2 election.

Suhas Subramanyam was reelected to the House of Delegates, in the state of Virginia beating challenger Greg Moulthrop On November 2^nd, 2021. Subramanyam won 21,374 votes — almost 60 percent — while Moulthrop received 13,939 votes, almost 40 percent. Subramanyam, 35, represents District 87 in Virginia’s House of Delegates. He is the first Indian American to win a seat in the state’s General Assembly.

Republicans won 50 seats Nov. 2 in Virginia’s House of Delegates, while Democrats won 40, for a 55-45 Republican majority overall at the statehouse. In one of the most-watched races of the evening, Youngkin beat former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat. Virginia has traditionally been considered a solidly blue state.

“I am so humbled and grateful that the 87th District has put their faith in me again as their Delegate. I promised two years ago that I would put people over special interests and do everything I could to empower my constituents. I am proud to have kept those promises, in the process fully funding our schools, curbing gun violence, addressing rising tolls and utility costs, and helping small businesses and families through one of the worst pandemics in our Commonwealth’s history,” said Subramanyam. “I am so thankful to all the staff and volunteers who knocked doors, wrote postcards, and made phone calls. This night would not have been possible without them.”

Reddi was the top vote-getter for the Manhattan City Commission, according to results late Nov. 2, tallying 3,571 votes followed by incumbent Mayor Wynn Butler (3,499 votes) and former commissioner John Matta (3,265 votes). Reddi and Butler earned four-year terms as the top finishers, while Matta received a two-year term for taking third.

Reddi, who was first elected to the commission in 2013, said this was her most stressful city commission campaign, according to The Mercury. “I wasn’t even sure where I was going to place in this race,” Reddi said in the report. “Even though I have served two terms, I think there were very good challengers. There was a lot of good campaigning going on from everyone, and everyone was vying for all the votes.” Reddi expressed her appreciation to the voters. “I value their support and I hope I have worked for them and with them to continue to move Manhattan forward,” she said, the report added.

Stanley – along with fellow incumbents state Sen. Patrick Diegnan and Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak – won reelection to his Assembly seat in the 18^th Legislative District in New Jersey, representing East Brunswick.

Stanley beat realtor Angela Fam and South Plainfield Councilwoman Melanie Mott to win the seat. He is the delegation’s newest member, and one of the newest members of the entire legislature; he was selected in January of this year to replace now-Middlesex County Clerk Nancy Pinkin (D-East Brunswick). Stanley earned 27,249 votes with Karabinchak taking 28,065 to claim the two seats. Fam took 20,822 votes and Mott had 21,449. Diegnan beat Republican counterpart Vihal Patel of Edison to claim his seat. Patel earned 20,596 votes to Diegnan’s 28,829.

In Columbia, South Carolina, Aditi Bussells was among a crowded field seeking the city’s councilmember at-large seat. In the seven-person field, Bussells led with 5,643 votes for 31 percent with all precincts reporting, though the results were still unofficial. Bussells was 5 points ahead of Tyler Bailey who had 26 percent of the vote with 4,695 tallies. Heather Bauer was third with 3,562 votes for 20 percent. Deitra Matthews (11 percent), John Tyler (4 percent), John Crangle (4 percent) and Aaron Smalls (3 percent) rounded out the field.

In Salisbury, North Carolina, Nalini Joseph was vying for a council seat, but came up just short. Incumbents Tamara Sheffield and David Post, along with newcomers Harry McLaughlin Jr. and the Rev. Anthony Smith won the seats. Guardian ad Litem District Administrator Joseph finished fifth with 13.90 percent. Sheffield led the field with 18.01 percent of the vote, followed by McLaughlin at 16.15 percent, Post at 15.69 percent and Smith with 14.29 percent.

Though Joseph received just 64 fewer votes than Smith, Rowan County Board of Elections executive director Brenda McCubbins said the numbers don’t fall within the acceptable range to request a recount, the Salisbury Post reported. For recounts, the difference in votes between candidates must not exceed 1 percent of the total votes cast for that particular race. A total of 16,127 votes were cast for council candidates, including 100 write-in votes, the report said.

Indian American attorney Nisha Arora, who would have been the first non-white judge in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, lost her bid for the Common Pleas Court Judge seat Nov. 2 evening to Democrat Mary Dempsey. Arora began her career as a law clerk in the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County. “Working in the court system truly influenced the person I am today. Dealing closely with judges who handled both criminal and civil cases, as well as working with the various treatment courts, gave me an insight into the position I am now seeking,” she said.

“My varied career experience has taught me about high points and low points. A courtroom can be a place where an individual experiences his or her worst time, perhaps losing a child in a custody case, facing imprisonment, or a significant monetary judgment.” The 41-year-old daughter of Dr. Subhash and Sunita Arora decided she wanted to pursue the law at the age of eight.

Mahatma Gandhi Engraved On UK Coin

November 10, 2021 Staff ReporterEconomy, Profile 0

A new 5 pound coin to commemorate the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled by Chancellor Rishi Sunak to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali.

Available in a range of standards, including gold and silver, the special collectors’ coin was designed by Heena Glover and features an image of a lotus, India’s national flower, alongside one of Gandhi’s most famous quotes — “My life is my message”.

Building on the enduring relationship and cultural connections between the UK and India, it is the first time that Gandhi has been commemorated on an official UK coin with the final design chosen by Sunak, who is the Master of the Mint.

“This coin is a fitting tribute to an influential leader who inspired millions of people around the world,” he said.

“As a practicing Hindu, I am proud to unveil this coin during Diwali. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the movement for Indian independence and it is fantastic to have a UK coin commemorating his remarkable life for the first time.”

The coin, which goes on sale, is part of the Royal Mint’s wider Diwali collection, which includes 1g and 5g gold bars in henna-style packaging, and the UK’s first gold bar depicting Lakshmi — the Hindu Goddess of wealth.

The 20g gold Lakshmi bar was designed in partnership with the Hindu community in South Wales, where the Royal Mint is based.

The Mint will join the celebrations at the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff, where worshippers will offer prayers to goddess Lakshmi and lord Ganesha for the coming year.

Chief Customer Officer for The Royal Mint, Nicola Howell, said: “As we approach Diwali celebrations, we are delighted to unveil the first official UK coin commemorating the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. The beautiful design builds on the enduring relationship and cultural connections between the UK and India.”

The announcement comes as India is celebrating its 75th year of Independence this year. Last year, the Chancellor commissioned the new “Diversity Built Britain” 50p coin following discussion with the ‘We Too Built Britain’ campaign, which works for fair representation of minority communities’ contributions across all walks of life.

Around 10 million of the coins, which recognise and celebrate Britain’s diverse history, went into circulation in October 2020.

Popular Kannada Actor Puneeth Rajkumar dies at 46

November 4, 2021 Staff ReporterCinema, Profile 0

Kannada filsstar Puneeth Rajkumar died in Bengaluru’s Vikram Hospital on Friday, October 29^th after suffering a heart attack. Reportedly, his health had taken a turn for the worst on Thursday evening but he did not visit a doctor. After working out in the gym in the morning, he complained of chest pain, following which he was taken to a private clinic where an ECG was done.

During the checkup, his condition worsened and he was rushed to hospital. According to a statement issued by Vikram Hospital, Puneeth was non-responsive when brought in and was in cardiac asystole. His body is to be kept at Kanteerava Stadium for fans to pay homage; the last rites will be performed today with state honours.

Son of matinee idol Rajkumar, Puneeth began his career as a child artiste — he was just six-months-old when he was cast in the 1976 thriller Premada Kanike. He went on to bag his only National Film Award (for best child artist) playing the role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. Add to this, the four Karnataka State Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards South won during his career.

Born Lohith, he was known to fans as ‘Appu’ — after the 2002 hit film in which he played his first lead role — and ‘Power Star’. His film credits — 29 of them — as a lead actor include Mourya, Arasu, Raam, Hudugaru and Anjani Putra. He last featured in Yuvarathnaa, that released early this year.

He was also a singer and was admired for his dance skills. Puneeth made his TV debut in 2012 as presenter of Kannadada Kotyadhipathi, the Kannada version of game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

C.S. Venkatakrishnan To Be CEO of Barclays

November 4, 2021July 24, 2025 Staff ReporterEconomy, Money, Profile 0

Barclays new CEO is CS Venkatakrishnan, an Indian-American and the first person of color to hold that position. Mysore-born CS Venkatakrishnan has replaced Jes Staley as Barclays CEO after the latter stepped down on Monday, November 1st. Barclays said succession planning has been in place for some time, and he had been identified as the preferred candidate more than a year ago.

Jes Staley stepped down from Barclays, which is Britain’s third-biggest bank by market value, after a probe into his relationship with financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bank said Staley will get a 2.5 million pound ($3.5 million) payout and receive other benefits for a year.

Better known as ‘Venkat’, he studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he got a PhD in operations research, after which he joined JPMorgan Chase in 1994. At JP Morgan Chase, venkat had held senior roles in Asset Management, where he was Chief Investment Officer for approximately $200 billion in Global Fixed Income, as well as in Investment Banking, and in Risk.

He joined Barclays in 2016. Prior to his appointment as Group CEO, Venkat was Head of Global Markets, Co-President of Barclays Bank PLC (BBPLC), and a member of the Group Executive Committee of Barclays, based in New York. He has also served as Chief Risk Officer at Barclays.

Venkat will be on a higher base salary than his predecessor and will receive £2.7 million ($3.69 million) in fixed pay – half in cash and half in shares. This amount is more than Staley’s 2.4 million pounds a year, it’s still a cut from Venkat’s – undisclosed – fixed pay as head of global markets, Barclays’ board said. Venkat will be eligible for a bonus up to a maximum of 93 per cent of his fixed pay and long-term incentives up to 140 per cent of fixed pay per year and a cash payment instead of a pension of £135,000 a year.

Venkatakrishnan joined Barclays as chief risk officer and initiated a comprehensive review of the bank’s exposure to bad credit card debt. The review led to Barclays taking a £320 million impairment charge after Venkatakrishnan urged the bank to adopt a more conservative approach to predicting how much of its credit card book would not be paid. Venkat is the executive sponsor for Embrace, the global multi-cultural network at Barclays, the bank said in its stock exchange announcement on Monday.

The board “identified Venkat as its preferred candidate for this role over a year ago, as a result of which he moved from the position of group chief risk officer to head of global markets,” London-headquartered Barclays noted in an announcement to the stock exchange. “The board has long been confident in Venkat’s capabilities to run the Barclays Group.”

The executive, known for his “genial unflappability” and “fondness for emojis,” appears to care about diversity. He has made progress on promoting women, Bloomberg reported. Venkatakrishnan is also the executive sponsor for Embrace, the global multi-cultural network at Barclays. He leads the company’s “Race at Work Action Plan,” which has strived to improve diversity at the company where underrepresented minorities comprise just 5% and 21% of the staff in the UK and the US respectively.

The 56-year-old who is now based in New York was born in Mysore, the southernmost city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Even now, Venkatakrishnan enjoys a meal at an Indian restaurant that would “serve lunch on orange plastic trays,” Ken Abbott, Barclays’ chief risk officer for the Americas until 2018, told Bloomberg. “He thought that was very authentic.”

Sarala Vidya Nagala Confirmed As Federal Judge In Connecticut

November 4, 2021November 4, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

Sarala Vidya Nagala, the first ever Indian American has been confirmed as a federal judge in Connecticut by the US Senate on Oct. 27, 2021. The United States Senate confirmed the Indian-American for a U.S. District Court judge in Connecticut making her the first ever person of Indian origin to be a U.S. District Court Judge in Connecticut’s federal bench for a lifetime appointment, the Hartford Courant noted.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarala Vidya Nagala, a career prosecutor, was among several of President Joe Biden’s nominees to be confirmed last week. The 38-year old Nagala was born in North Dakota and educated in Stanford University and University of California.

When she was nominated this June, Nagala was the Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut, a role she has held since 2017.

Nagala joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2012, and has served in a number of leadership roles in the office, including as Hate Crimes Coordinator.

Previously, Nagala was in private practice as an associate at Munger, Tolles, & Olson in San Francisco, California from 2009 to 2012.

She began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Susan Graber on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2008 to 2009.

The Hartford Courant quoted University of Richmond law professor Car Tobias saying, “Nagala brings long experience as a federal prosecutor,” noting that the hearing in the U.S. Senate had gone smoothly and their was strong support for her nomination in the upper chamber on Capitol Hill.

Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, Democrats from Connecticut, who recommended Nagala for the nomination, put out a statement Oct. 27, applauded the Senate for confirming her.

She was confirmed in a 52-46 vote with 47 Democrats, 3 Republicans and 2 Independents voting in her favor, according to Ballotpedia’s breakdown of votes.

“Sarala Nagala brings a deep understanding of the criminal justice system to the federal bench, and I was proud to vote to confirm her nomination as a judge for the District of Connecticut. Her years as a federal prosecutor and commitment to her community will prove invaluable to this new role. I’m glad to see her confirmed by the full Senate,” said Murphy.

“Today’s bipartisan confirmation of Sarala Nagala is a testament to her commitment to public service and fidelity to the rule of law,” said Blumenthal. “Her experience as a federal prosecutor fighting the evils of human trafficking and hate crimes will have an immediate impact on our federal bench, where she will now serve as the first Article III judge of Asian and South Asian descent in the District of Connecticut.”

Kerala Center To Honor 8 Prominent NRIs

November 4, 2021November 5, 2021 Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile 0

The Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center (http://keralacenterny.com) will honor eight Indian Americans for their outstanding achievements in their field of specialization or for their service to the society at its 29^th Annual Awards Banquet to be held on November 13, 2021. The chief guest at the award ceremony will be Dr. Arun Jeph, India’s Deputy Consul General in New York. The award event will also have New York Senators Kevin Thomas and Todd Kaminsky, Hempstead Town Supervisor, Don Clavin and India Consul for Community Affairs, A. K. Vijayakrishnan, as special guests.

According to Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairperson of the Trustee Board, the Kerala Center has been honoring outstanding achievers since 1991. “Every year we invite nominations and the committee has to make a unanimous choice for a candidate in a category to receive the award,” said Dr. Abraham who is one of the members of the Award Committee. “This year our nominees are no different in terms of their achievements,” said Dr. Abraham.

Award Committee Chair Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran said that Kerala Center has been honoring Indian American Malayalees who have reached high levels in their professions and who work for social progress. “Their examples should be an inspiration for others,” he said.

This year, six regular and one special award will be given out to nominees for their special achievements, for their career graph and for their services to the community in the U.S., to people who do the center proud.

Outstanding Achievements in Medicine and Professional Services: This award will be given to Dr. George M. Abraham, President of the American College of Physicians. Dr. George M. Abraham is the President of the American College of Physicians (the largest internal medicine organization in the world with 161,000 members in 145 countries). He is a Professor of Medicine at the Univ. Mass Medical School, Chief of Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA and Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. A graduate of the famous Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu in India, he has authored over 100 publications, abstracts and book chapters.

Notable Achievements in Political Process: This award will go to Mayor Robin J. Elackatt, mayor of City of Missouri City, Texas. Mayor Elackatt’s public services started with the city’s Parks & Recreation Board and as (District C) Council member from 2009-2015. Holding an MBA and a MHA degrees, he served as the Healthcare Administrator of one of the largest Healthcare systems in Houston for over 24 years.

Notable Contributions in Public Service: This award will be given to Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, the Republican nominee for NYC Public Advocate. Dr. Devi is a practicing physician in pain medicine, a scientist and a small business owner. She is a SAG-AFTRA member who played a doctor on General Hospital before becoming a doctor in real life. Dr. Devi did her residency and fellowship training at Harvard Medical School and is currently an Associate Professor at NYU School of Medicine.

Notable Contributions and Achievements in Performing Arts: The recipient for this award will be Mrs. Chandrika Kurup, the director of Noopura Indian Classical Dance School, New York. Training under the late Kalamandalam Kalyanikutti Amma, a pioneer in Mohiniyattam, Kurup has been teaching Bharatanattyam, Kuchipuddi and Odissi and enhancing art and culture.

Notable Contributions in Nursing and Community Service: The recipient of this award is Mrs. Mary Philip, RN, MSA, a past Lieutenant in the Indian Defense Force and a past President of the Indian Nurses Association of NY. As a past President of the Indian Nurses Association of NY, she helped nurses with various educational and professional opportunities, including scholarships and academic financial support. She has also worked as an executive member of several local and national associations.

Notable Services and Achievements in Legal Services: This award will be given to Mrs. Nandini Nair, partner and co-chair of the Immigration and Naturalization practice group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. Ms. Nair focuses her practice on U.S. visas, employment-based and family-based applications, naturalization applications and other immigration benefits. She is ranked among the “Top Lawyers in New Jersey Immigration” by Chambers & Partners.

Special Award for Notable Services during the Pandemic: This award will be given jointly to Dr. Sabu Varghese and Dr. Blessy Mary Joseph, practicing physicians in New York. Dr. Sabu Varghese, is teaching and attending at Brookdale University Hospital and is doing his private practice at Wholesome Medical PC, holding affiliations with Northwell Systems and Catholic Hospital Systems. During the Pandemic, Dr. Varghese went out of his way to treat his patients. Dr. Blessy

Mary Joseph, MD, is a graduate of Manipal University Medical School, is currently holding private practice at Wholesome Medical PC and has affiliations with Northwell Systems and Catholic Hospital Systems. During the Pandemic, Dr. Blessy Joseph went out of her way to treat her patients.

Tamil Superstar Kamal Haasan Launches A New Fashion Line, His Favorite Khadi

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 Mayank Chaya At IndicaBusiness, Fashion, Profile 0

Mohandas Gandhi, the original proponent of the fabric, once said, Khadi is not fashion it is a value. Tamil movie superstar Kamal Haasan, who is also someone with an unbridled passion for all things Gandhi, would seem to disagree in nuance because he believes precisely Khadi is a value it also ought to be fashion.

As the 66-year-old actor, now in his 62nd year as an artist, prepares to launch his own Khadi-based fashion line called House of Khaddar, he thinks it is more than time for this versatile all-weather fabric to be projected around the world through his fashion line and with it carry the story of Gandhi’s values.

The artist whose name means a smiling lotus, as in Kamal for lotus and Haasan for smile, plans to launch ‘House of Khaddar’ out of Chicago soon. He is also launching a fragrance along with it.

“I was born under Khadi, literally on Khadi in the sense that my father held me in his lap for the first time and he never wore anything but Khadi till he died. He was a great Gandhi admirer,” Haasan said in an interview as part of the upcoming launch.

Saying that “the idea of khadi was always with me” Haasan said his commitment to Gandhi and his values came from his father.

Asked whether he was trying to bring about an awareness among the younger generation how intrinsic Khadi was to India’s freedom movement before 1947, Haasan said, “My intention is to say that we made history, now we will do business. That is what Britain was doing with calico, with our cotton or Egyptian cotton. Cotton has a great history of so many unjust and just things that happened. There were slaves created because of cotton. I was born to a history where freedom was created because of cotton. The civil disobedience movement also had the Khadi thread running through the weave. Gandhi is the biggest weaver I have known in my life.”

It was a measure of Haasan’s devotion to Gandhi that he even said, “All my metaphors I learned from Mr. Gandhi and my father. Our tagline is ‘Fashion is being civil yet disobedient’.” Asked who wrote that tagline, he said “I did. I am an understudy of Mr. Gandhi.” He added that he wished he had Gandhi to write all his copy because he regarded him as the greatest Indian writer.

On why global fashion labels never chose Khadi as a fabric despite its obvious versatility, Haasan said he was thankful that they did not since it left the field open for him to explore.

Gandhi first introduced the idea of Khadi in 1918 as a way to help the impoverished Indians by giving them a means to earn a livelihood. Writing about Gandhi and Khadi for mkgandhi.org, Divya Joshi says in her introduction, “But one finds a change in his emphasis from 1934, more especially from 1935, when he began on insisting on khadi for the villager’s own use, rather than merely for sale to others. His imprisonment in 1942 and 1943 gave him time to ponder further over his khadi movement, and when he came out of jail he came with a determination to give a new turn to khadi work in order to make khadi serve the needs of villagers themselves first and foremost. He poured out his soul to his fellow-workers in 1944, and urged them to effect the change.”

It is a measure of Gandhi’s steadfast commitment to the handwoven fabric that he wrote in the Navjivan newspaper on April 5, 1922, “Like swaraj, khadi is our birth-right, and it is our life-long duty to use that only. Anyone who does not fulfil that duty is totally ignorant of what swaraj is.”

In the same newspaper, he wrote on December 12, 1922, “We cannot claim to have understood the meaning of swaraj till khadi becomes as universal as currency.”

In an interview published in Navjivan on March 19, 1922, Gandhi said something even more remarkable about Khadi: “I have only one message to give and that concerns khadi. Place khadi in my hands and I shall place swaraj in yours. The uplift of the Antyajas is also covered by khadi and even Hindu- Muslim unity will live through it. It is also a great instrument of peace. This does not mean that I do not favour boycott of Councils and law-courts, but in order that people may not have a grievance against those who go to them, I desire that the people should carry on work concerning khadi even with the help of lawyers and members of legislatures. Keep the Moderates highly pleased, cultivate love and friendship for them. Once they become fearless, that very moment they will become one with us. The same holds good also for Englishmen.”

Gandhi’s emphasis on Khadi was also a part of his broader political doctrine. “Ever since the commencement of our present struggle, we have been feeling the necessity of boycotting foreign cloth. I venture to suggest that, when khaddar comes universally in use, the boycott of foreign cloth will automatically follow. Speaking for myself, charkha and khaddar have a special religious significance to me because they are a symbol of kinship between the members of both the communities and the hunger- and disease- stricken poor. It is by virtue of the fact that our movement can today be described as moral and economic as well as political,” he said in a letter he wrote from the Sabarmati jail on December 12, 1922 to a certain Abdul Bari.

Kamal Haasan’s launch of ‘House of Khaddar’ almost a century after those pronouncements may be fortuitous but given his superstardom, there are expectations that Khadi just might cross from being a coarse and lowly fabric to the level couture.

2 Indians Led Firms In Forbes List of Future Billion Dollar Companies

October 29, 2021 Staff ReporterBusiness, Money, Profile 0

Two Indian American-led companies made Forbes magazine’s annual list of 25 venture-backed startups that are most likely to become unicorns, with valuations of more than $1 billion.

Legion Technologies, founded by Sanish Mondkar; and Alchemy, co-founded by Nikil Viswanathan and Joseph Lau are featured in the new List released by Forbes earlier this month.

“A $1 billion valuation isn’t what it used to be, as companies reach that milestone at breakneck speed, noted Forbes, adding that even startups with barely any revenue are earning sky-high valuations as investors bet on future growth.

The average estimated 2020 revenue for companies on this year’s list is just $12 million; last year’s list featured startups with an average of $30 million in revenue.

“Still there are plenty of up-and-comers worth keeping an eye on, including one that tests your dog’s DNA and another that will help you notarize documents from the comfort of your home. This list represents the 25, in alphabetical order, that we think have the best shot of becoming future stars,” said the magazine, in its introduction to the list.

Mondkar, a former chief product officer at SAP, left his job in 2015. He then traveled around the country with his two dogs, talking with people outside of Silicon Valley, according to his profile in Forbes. A year later, he founded Legion Technologies, a workforce management software that helps employers manage their hourly wage workers.

“There is no innovation targeted at these hourly workers,” says Mondkar, 48. The Redwood City, California-based company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help its customers forecast demand and optimize their labor costs, while taking into account employees’ preferences for when and how they work. “Most employees quit these jobs because of schedule conflicts,” he said. “The goal for the algorithms is to prioritize both sides.”

“Good jobs create happier, more productive employees who are less likely to quit,” wrote Mondkar in a blog post. “At an average cost of $4,969 per employee who quits, imagine how much money could be saved if they stayed on board.”

Philz Coffee was Legion’s first customer. Dollar General and SoulCycle also use Mondkar’s technology. With increased attention on workforce issues during the pandemic, Legion revenues are expected to more than double this year, to $11 million, predicted Forbes, noting that Legion’s 2020 revenue was $5 million. Mondkar has raised $85 million in equity from First Round Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, Stripes, XYZ.

Viswanathan and Lau co-founded Alchemy in 2017, a year after building Down to Lunch, which The New York Times touted as “the hottest new social app in America.” Alchemy makes it easier to read and write information onto blockchains, such as Ethereum and Flow. “Alchemy provides the leading blockchain development platform powering over $30 billion in transactions for tens of millions of users in every country globally. Our mission is to enable developers to bring the magic of blockchain to the world,” wrote Viswanathan in his LinkedIn profile.

“The computer and internet fundamentally improved human life on planet earth. We’re excited to help enable the global opportunity of blockchain – the next tectonic shift,” he said.

The service starts free for smaller developers, but larger customers pay a monthly fee. The San Francisco-based firm is on pace to increase revenue tenfold this year, to an estimated $20 million, as it helps clients like PwC, Unicef and OpenSeat conduct more than $30 billion in volume annually, noted Forbes in its profile of the company. Alchemy’s 2020 revenue was $2 million. The company has raised $96 million in equity from Addition, Coatue, and Pantera.

Neera Tanden Named As Biden’s Staff Secretary

October 25, 2021October 30, 2021 Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

Neera Tanden, the former president of the Center for American Progress whose nomination as White House budget director was pulled earlier this year, has been named President Joe Biden’s staff secretary, a White House official confirmed Friday.

Tanden has been working in the White House since May as a senior adviser to the president. Her added responsibility as the staff secretary is to control the flow of documents to Biden and other senior staff.

“The Staff Secretary role is the central nervous system of the White House and moves the decision-making process and manages a wide variety of issues for the President,” a White House official said in a statement. The role, a senior position, was once held by now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and John Podesta, who later served as then-President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.

Tanden will replace Jessica Hertz, a former Obama administration attorney who worked more recently in the government affairs office of Facebook. White House officials have praised Hertz as a highly regarded, well-liked member of the team.

Tanden, an Indian American, will be the first woman of color to hold the position. She is well known in Washington as a policy wonk and political strategist. She came to the White House from the Center for American Progress, the liberal think tank, where she had served most recently as president and CEO and before that as a deputy to Podesta, the think tank’s founder.

Biden nominated Tanden last year to become his director of the Office of Management and Budget, but the White House withdrew her nomination in March after it became clear that she lacked the votes to get Senate confirmation. Multiple lawmakers, including Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., objected to partisan comments she had previously made on social media.

Tanden previously served as a senior adviser for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services and a policy adviser to the 2008 presidential campaigns of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

In the Biden White House, Tanden has helped lead the external political effort to pass the Biden economic agenda. She has also been overseeing a review of the U.S. Digital Service, a group of technologists who design and maintain the federal government’s technology infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Biden announced his choice of two other Indian-Americans to hold high office in his administration. They include Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency; and Ravi Chaudhary as Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Air Force.

While Thummalapally does not need confirmation, the nomination of Chaudhary will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Thummalapally, the first Indian-American to be appointed as Ambassador in the history of this country, will now serve as the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the White House announced Oct. 18, 2021.

Chaudhary previously served as a Senior Executive at the U.S. Department of Transportation where he was Director of Advanced Programs and Innovation, Office of Commercial Space, at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In this role, he was responsible for the execution of advanced development and research programs in support of the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation mission. While at DOT, he also served as the Executive Director, Regions and Center Operations, where he was responsible for integration and support of aviation operations in nine regions located nationwide.

Parag Mehta Named President of JPMorgan Chase Policy Center

October 25, 2021 Staff ReporterBusiness, Economy, Profile 0

Indian American executive Parag Mehta has been appointed head of public policy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest bank in the United States and the fifth-largest bank in the world, according to a press release. Mehta announced Oct. 18 on LinkedIn and social media that he will serve as the new managing director and president of the JPMorgan Chase Policy Center.

Most recently, Mehta served as the senior vice president at Mastercard, where he led the company’s efforts to advance sustainable and equitable economic growth around the world as executive director of the company’s Center for Inclusive Growth. In that role, he led a global team of professionals dedicated to ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are broadly shared and who work to leverage the core competencies and assets of Mastercard to achieve the same.

He has spent the past 21 years working to advance justice, inclusion and human rights through political activism, public service and now philanthropy.

Mehta played several leadership roles in former President Barack Obama’s administration including as liaison to the AAPI and LGBTQ communities and as chief of staff to the 19th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. In the Obama administration, Mehta spent more than four years directing communications for a civil rights agency in the U.S. Department of Labor and served on Obama’s presidential transition team as a liaison to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and to LGBT Americans.

In his position with the Surgeon General, he organized a series of campaigns to address some of the most pressing public health issues of our time. Mehta also serves as the Board Chair of New American Leaders, a national nonprofit organization that works to strengthen American democracy by electing first and second generation immigrants and refugees to public office.

Mehta is from Central Texas and a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, as well as the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University where he earned a master’s degree in public administration.

World Cup and domestic honors

Harvard Medical School professor Dr Shiv Pillai says India’s third wave likely to subside by March, and suggests that the country’s response to the pandemic was a mixed bag.

Two future scenarios

India’s response varied

Why is the resolution significant?

TheUNN Corporation

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