Television stars Mindy Kaling and Poorna Jagannathan, along with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, were prominent figures at the virtual launch of South Asian Women for Harris on July 24.
The event drew around 9,000 women, despite being organized through word of mouth within three days following Vice President Kamala Harris’s announcement to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Harris’s campaign has swiftly garnered $126 million in donations in under 72 hours and secured the necessary pledged delegates and 38,000 volunteers for the nomination.
During the two-hour launch, participants raised over $250,000, setting a record for a Zoom event. Venu Gupta, one of the organizers, emphasized the critical role of women voters, stating, “It’s going to take every woman voter in this country to win this election. We’re not running for office: we’re running for our rights.”
The event featured a panel of seasoned political activists, including Vanita Gupta, former US Associate Attorney General; Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code; and Rohini Kosoglu, Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President in the Biden-Harris administration. The panel was moderated by Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL, a pro-choice organization. Saujani praised Harris, calling her the “mom’s candidate.”
Actress and producer Mindy Kaling, who is also a single mother of three, kicked off the event. She expressed her admiration for Harris’s boldness, saying, “Culturally, I was raised to keep my head down and not make a stir. I’m so glad to see that Kamala Harris has done the exact opposite throughout her career.” Kaling also commended Harris’s staunch pro-choice position, stating, “We need abortion care, not tax cuts for millionaires.”
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, representing Washington state and a Congress member since 2017, highlighted her and Harris’s election to the Senate and House on the same night in 2016, when Donald Trump won the presidency. Jayapal recalled Trump’s subsequent Muslim ban and her efforts to prevent deportations at the airport.
Jayapal introduced a bill to repeal the Muslim ban in the House and encouraged Harris to introduce it in the Senate. They have collaborated on multiple bills, including those supporting domestic workers’ rights, universal childcare, and abortion access. Jayapal, an early advocate for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, admitted uncertainty about Harris’s stance on the issue but noted Harris’s compassion.
Poorna Jagannathan expressed hope that Harris would push for a cease-fire and a permanent resolution to the Israel-Hamas conflict, stressing its importance to young voters. “We cannot afford not to talk about Gaza,” she emphasized.
Neeru Khosla, founder of the CK12 Foundation, was a surprise guest at the event. Her organization has educated over 265 million low-income children worldwide using a unique AI-based model. Khosla, whose husband Vinod Khosla is a notable venture capitalist, had hosted a fundraiser for Biden in May.
At her daughter Anu’s request, Neeru spoke at the event, expressing optimism and admiration for Harris. “Kamala is intelligent, she’s trained, and she wants to do the job. This is a very optimistic time,” she said, mirroring the positive sentiments shared in the Zoom chat.
Kiran Jain, who interviewed Khosla, remarked, “This election feels like it will be won via WhatsApp,” highlighting the significant role of digital communication in the campaign.
Smiriti Irani highlighted India’s role in bringing women’s leadership to the world forum though its leadership of G 20. She said, “Women don’t have the problem of speaking up, but they have the problem of being heard.” She said, “Women’s values cannot be measured by their success, she needs to be evaluated by what she is.” She paid homage to physicians of Indian origin “for your great contributions” and urged that “AAPI celebrates where every voice of women is celebrated.”
Currently, Dr. Gupta is serving a 3-year term on the powerful Board of Trustees of AAPI. She will assume charge as the Chair of AAPI’s BOT during the first-ever World Congress of AAPI in New York on July 20th, 2024.
Dr. Kavita Gupta is board-certified in pain management, physical medicine, and rehabilitation. A prominent practicing pain management physician from the southern New Jersey Tri-state region, Dr. Gupta had started as an engineer but pursued a medical degree “with a mindset to help others.”
Dr. Gupta grew within AAPI nationally and locally while attending national and local Chapter meetings. She was elected national Vice President of MSRF, Treasurer of YPS, and later on as YPS president. She has been active in the Philadelphia Indian Physician organization, serving as its Secretary and Vice President. She was elected and served as the national Secretary of AAPI in 2013. In addition, Dr. Gupta has served on various national AAPI Committees- from women’s forum/academic affairs /CME speaker/ convention committees and under several past presidents/convention teams.
“My passion has been in educating the youth and participating as a judge and advisor for several youth organizations focused on science, research, public speaking, and medical student education,” she says. Dr. Gupta believes “in empowering the youth, staying involved as an educator ever since my residency career and I am currently educating medical students, graduate students and resident physicians.
I enjoy in participating healthcare education platforms for the community and have done many such programs locally, via telehealth, and abroad. I have been a youth advisor for non-profit organizations, high school clubs, and professional development programs.”
When she is not seeing patients, Dr. Gupta enjoys time with her triplets and husband, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. She gives full credit to her family for supporting her at every step of the way. I have very good friends in AAPI, who have full confidence in me and I can trust them to guide me through all stages in leading AAPI.”
Further enhancing the summit experience, women who have contributed to Women Who Win will share their journeys through a panel discussion moderated by Jharna Madan, followed by an open mic session led by Ruchika Yadav. Co-founder Shaleen Sheth looks forward to bringing these inspiring narratives to life on stage, enriching the storytelling platform.
Hailing from New Delhi, India, 
Council and the founder and CEO of Cosmo City Media, a full-service PR and media agency in Austin. 
The celebration commenced with a welcoming Meet & Greet, followed by a digital showcase of the FIA’s history of furthering diversity and gender equality. Payal Shah, Co-chair of International Women’s Day, emceed the event.
youth to be mentored in various departments in the Township “Representation matters,” Singh said, adding, “We are making a mark in this country.”
Director Aamer’s work often focuses on the importance of transboundary water politics including a multitude of publications, interviews, and panels like her upcoming panel, 
Founded in 1989, Sakhi has been at the forefront of advocating for gender justice, providing culturally competent programs, and fostering community engagement to address unique challenges faced by survivors in the South Asian diaspora. Over the past 35 years, Sakhi has worked tirelessly to build safer, more equitable communities for all.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission has been requested to make its recommendations available by October 31, 2025, covering an award period of 5 years commencing 1st April, 2026. The Finance Commission usually takes about two years to consult stakeholders in the States and Centre and arrive at their conclusions.
After five years in the workforce, Ms. Madoc was soon promoted to Regional Manager at Cipla, a large Pharmaceutical company in India. She describes, “The key to my success in my first organization was purely results.” Even when asked about a few lifetime achievements, Ms. Madoc takes pride in being the first ever Woman Regional Manager in Cipla.
engagement, executive development, and performance management, Ms. Madoc’s expertise spans various HR roles, underpinned by a deep understanding of labor laws and service conditions. Ms. Madoc confidently claims, “I have contributed to the success of diverse organizations, including a Foreign Mission, an International School, Corporate Healthcare, a Charitable Private Mission Hospital, and a Corporate Pharmaceutical Company.”
Ms. Alfons greatly admires her time at St. Stephen’s Mission Hospital, where she spent nine years in health care. “While my role was primarily in HR, whenever I got an opportunity, I worked as a Social Worker there at the Hospital,” catering to the diverse needs of the patients and families.
Commission, where she was recruited as the Head of HR for the Southwest Asian Region. She explains her work at the Foreign Mission as “a wonderful journey through the global outreach of HR, how HR functions beyond the Indian borders, and how cross-cultural experiences and cross-cultural competencies come into play.”
Ms. Alfons emphasizes the need to be aware of how we do what we do and also the importance of knowing why we do what we do. Recognizing her dynamism, creativity, and leadership, Ms. Madoc was awarded the High Commissioner’s Excellence Award for her contributions to the Australian High Commission.
rooted in the foundational values instilled by my parents and family” as the keys to her success. “Beyond the tangible elements, the true secret is steadfast belief in one’s capabilities. I firmly believe that faith can move mountains,” Ms. Madoc adds.
An aspiring doctor and model, Rijul, 24-year-old Maini aims to be a surgeon and hopes to serve as a role model to women everywhere. “I am so humbled and grateful to say that I am the new MISS INDIA USA 2023! I am especially grateful for the family of amazing, strong, confident women I gained throughout this process. Your light shines so bright, never dim it for anyone,” she said in an Instagram post.
USA, Mrs. India USA and Miss Teen India USA. Winners of all three categories will be getting complimentary air tickets to take part in Miss- Mrs.-Teen India Worldwide organized by the same group.
Forbes also included four Indian women in their list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The country’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, came in at number 32 in the politics and policy category. HCL Technologies chairperson and industrialist Roshni Nadar Malhotra ranked number 60 in the technology category. Soma Mondal, CEO of the Steel Authority of India, was number 70 in the business category. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, an entrepreneur, was number 76 in the business category.
Making her debut as a film composer in the upcoming Tamil film ‘Minmini’ which is currently in-the-works, Music maestro A.R Rahman’s daughter has released her first single ‘Farishton’ in 2020, which was composed and produced by her Oscar-winning father.
government officials in Karnataka state sought to criminalize her reporting published in Tehelka, a prominent investigative magazine where she worked at the time. Her report cast doubt on a police investigation into 2008 bomb blasts in Bengaluru, alleging that the police had fabricated witness statements to arrest a local Muslim cleric.
Still, women remain the minority in nine of the 10 highest-paying occupations. The exception is pharmacists, 61% of whom are women. More broadly, the share of women across all 10 of these occupations (35%) remains well below their share of the overall U.S. workforce (47%).
ome of these high-paying occupations – including physicians, lawyers, dentists and pharmacists – require specialized graduate degrees. One way that women have increased their presence in high-paying occupations is by increasingly earning degrees that are required for these jobs.
Women now also earn 63% of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees – similar to their share of workers in the pharmacist occupation (61%). Pharmacists are also the only occupation in the top 10 where women make up the majority. This could be because the field offers flexible work hours, a collaborative environment and family-friendly policies, according to 
Mathematics or statistics: 42% of recipients today are women, unchanged from 1980
Keisha Stephens, CCWP, 
ITServe Alliance
Key ITServe members who were instrumental in organizing the discussions included; 
Rao delved into a project in the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Colorado Denver, where she harnessed cutting-edge genetic engineering techniques to create a colorimetry-based application and device for the treatment of prescription opioid addiction. Her initiative garnered global recognition as a world finalist in the Technovation Girl Challenge and received a Health Pillar award from the TCS Ignite Innovation challenge on a national level.
A co-founder of the Diversity & Inclusion campaign at her school, Srivastava also participates in Mock Trial and Model United Nations, according to her pageant biography.
Women are leading the world by being the proponents of economic empowerment, strengthening educational organizations, and being a powerful voice in politics. They have overcome obstacles and have shown the world what a woman can achieve and contribute to the betterment of the world as never before in human history.
In her keynote address, Her Holiness Jagadguru Sai Maa, a world-renowned spiritual master, healer, and humanitarian, with a unique fusion of Eastern spiritual wisdom, Western therapeutic knowledge, and energetic mastery, fondly called Sai Maa shared with the audience on ways to uplift and empower others to master their lives. Sai Maa, who is the first-ever female to be awarded the prestigious title Jagadguru in India’s 2,700 years of the Vishnuswami lineage, one of the highest designations in the Hindu tradition, is being recognized as embodying the power and influence to transform the entire planet.
Dr. Himabindu Gadipatti, a renowned oncologist, geneticist, and entrepreneur from San Diego CA, has dedicated the past decade of her career to creating a unique holistic approach to implementing novel cancer solutions in developing countries via her three companies that facilitate extensive research worldwide. In her address, she spoke about cancer has typically been thought of as a disease of the Western world, and how cancer research in developing countries is progressing and helping actross the globe.
Dr. Manju Sachdev, a Board Certified Pediatrician, currently serves as a faculty member and clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M School of Medicine. Dr. Sachdev has been actively involved in her local television media along with being a long-established part of TV ASIA as their medical host for a number of national programs – most notably, AAPI AND YOUR HEALTH. She has served in the AAPI organization in numerous capacities – as a former Women’s Chair, member of AAPI Board of Trustees, and Treasurer.
