Category: Youth

Pfizer Hopeful, FDA Will Soon Authorize COVID-19 Vaccine For 12-15 Age Group

Staff ReporterHealth, Youth 0

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 to 15 years old, a decision that could come by some time early next week. The vaccine is currently authorized only for people age 16 and older.

A ruling should come “shortly,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla told investors in a conference call Tuesday morning. The company announced in late March that it would ask the FDA to expand its emergency use authorization to allow younger people to receive the vaccine, citing clinical trials that showed the vaccine elicits “100% efficacy and robust antibody responses” in adolescents from 12 to 15 years old.
News of the pending authorization comes as children now represent a rising proportion of new coronavirus cases in the U.S., where more than 100 million adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pfizer is conducting pediatric studies to determine the safety and benefits of administering its vaccine to young children. The company plans to submit two new emergency use authorization requests in September, with one request covering children from 2 to 5 years old and a second applying to ages 5 to 11. A separate batch of results and a possible request, for children who are from 6 months to 2 years old, are expected in the fourth quarter. “We also expect to have Phase 2 safety data from our ongoing study in pregnant women by late July/early August,” Bourla said, according to his prepared remarks.

Looking further into the future, Bourla said he anticipates “durable demand” for the COVID-19 vaccine, similar to that for flu vaccines. And he said that later this month, Pfizer will ask the FDA to give full approval — not just emergency authorization — for administering its vaccine to people ages 16 and up. The company is also studying how a third booster shot could help protect people who have already undergone the two-dose regimen.

Pfizer and BioNTech, its partner in developing the vaccine, expect to be able to produce at least 3 billion doses in 2022, the Pfizer chief said.
The COVID-19 vaccine has already brought billions of dollars to Pfizer; Bourla said that in the first quarter of 2021 alone, the vaccine added $3.5 billion in global revenue. For the year overall, he said, Pfizer expects to bring in around $26 billion based on the vaccine. The company and BioNTech have shipped some 430 million doses to 91 countries and territories, Bourla said.

Indian-American Triplets Raise Over $280,000 For Covid Help In India

Staff ReporterCommunity, Youth 0

Three Indian-American siblings raised more than USD280,000 to send essential oxygen supplies for COVID-19 patients in India. Gia, Karina and Armaan Gupta, who are the founders of a non-profit organization, Little Mentors, have raised $280,000 to help India will essential oxygen supplies. The 15-year-old triplets said they reached out to their school friends and families for funds so that they could arrange life-saving equipment like oxygen concentrators and ventilators for needy patients in the country.

Founders of a non-profit organization, Little Mentors, said they reached out to their school friends and families for funds so that they could arrange life-saving equipment like oxygen concentrators and ventilators for needy patients and hospitals in and around Delhi.

“Our only request is to return it (the equipment) when it’s not further needed as the next patient can use it, said 15-year-old triplets Gia, Karina and Armaan Gupta.  “This is important as supply of this equipment is very scarce and the affected population is enormous,” they said. The triplets said they also plan to keep a database of the needy population so that supply could be properly directed.

We need everybody’s help in this as such an enormous task can only be accomplished by teamwork. We are very fortunate to work with an excellent team of physicians, both in the US and India. We are further working on getting vaccine supplies, they said.

Previously, the triplets worked to reach out to senators and congressmen, requesting to lift the critical supply embargo.

“Although we hope and pray that this second wave of the coronavirus will go away soon, we are getting ready for the worst and asking people to be careful and help each other in this major crisis,” they said. Besides, the group plans to open distribution centres in major cities.

Indian Students To Benefit As Canada Offers Residency To 90,000

Staff ReporterEconomy, Immigration, Youth 0

Indian students will be the major beneficiaries of Canada’s new one-time immigration program which opened for applications last week. Under the program, over 90,000 international students and temporary essential workers, already in Canada, will be given permanent residence (PR).

Under it, 40,000 international students, 30,000 temporary workers in selected essential occupations and 20,000 temporary workers in health care will get permanent residence. To be eligible, international students must have completed a post-secondary programme in Canada in the last four years.

Foreign workers must have at least one year of Canadian work experience in a health care profession or another pre-approved essential occupation. Indian students will benefit proportionately more than others as they – numbering 220,000 last year – make up more than a third of all foreign students currently in Canada. Before the pandemic closed international travel, Canada had planned to admit 341,000 immigrants in 2020.

The new PR program aims at making up for the shortfall in immigration numbers in 2020 by prioritizing those already in Canada. Moreover, a record 401,000 new immigrants will be admitted in 2021.

Highlighting the significance of Wednesday’s programme, Immigration minister Marco Mendicino said, “The pandemic has shone a bright light on the contributions of newcomers in essential jobs, as we have recognized the caregivers, cooks and cashiers as our everyday heroes. With this new pathway, we are recognizing their key role in our economic recovery, allowing them to set down roots in Canada and help us build back better. Our message to them is simple: your status may be temporary, but your contributions are lasting-and we want you to stay.” (IANS)

Youth Demand Action on Nature, Following IUCN’s First-Ever Global Youth Summit

Alison Kentish ,Inter Press AgencyEducation, Environment, Women, Youth 0

Following almost two weeks of talks on issues such as climate change, innovation, marine conservation and social justice, thousands of young people from across the globe concluded the first-ever International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) One Nature One Future Global Youth Summit with a list of demands for action on nature.

Under three umbrella themes of diversity, accessibility and intersectionality, they are calling on countries and corporations to invest the required resources to redress environmental racism and climate injustice, create green jobs, engage communities for biodiversity protection, safeguard the ocean, realise gender equality for climate change mitigation and empower underrepresented voices in environmental policymaking.

“Young people talk about these key demands that they have and most of the time, they are criticised for always saying ‘I want this,’ and are told ‘but you’re not even sure you know what you can do,’” Global South Focal Point for the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Swetha Stotra Bhashyam told IPS. “So we linked our demands to our own actions through our ‘Your Promise, Our Future’ campaign and are showing world leaders what we are doing for the world and then asking them what they are going to do for us and our future.”

Bhashyam is one of the young people dedicated to climate and conservation action. A zoologist who once studied rare species from the field in India, she told IPS that while she hoped to someday return to wildlife studies and research, her skills in advocacy and rallying young people are urgently needed. Through her work with GYBN, the youth constituency recognised under the Convention on Biological Diversity, she stated proudly that the network has truly become ‘grassroots,’ with 46 national chapters. She said the IUCN Global Youth Summit, which took place from Apr. 5 to 16,  gave youth networks like hers an unprecedented platform to reach tens of thousands of the world’s youth.

“The Summit was able to create spaces for young people to voice their opinions. We in the biodiversity space have these spaces, but cannot reach the numbers that IUCN can. IUCN not only reached a larger subset of youth, but gave us an open space to talk about critical issues,” she said. “They even let us write a blog about it on their main IUCN page. It’s called IUCN Crossroads. They tried to ensure that the voice of young people was really mainstream in those two weeks.”

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, told IPS that the Summit achieved an important goal of bringing institutions and political conversations closer to young people. During her tenure, Wickramanayake has advocated for a common set of principles for youth engagement within the UN system, based on rights, safety and adequate financing. She said it is important for institutions to open their doors to meaningful engagement with young people.

“I remember in 8th or 9th grade in one of our biology classes, we were taught about endangered animal species. We learned about this organisation called IUCN, which works on biodiversity. In my head, this was a big organisation that was out of my reach as a young person.

“But having the opportunity to attend the IUCN Summit, even virtually, engage with its officials and engage with other young people, really gave me and perhaps gave other young people a sense of belonging and a sense of taking us closer to institutions trying to achieve the same goals as we are as youth advocates.”

The Youth Envoy said the Summit was timely for young people, allowing them to meet virtually following a particularly difficult year and during a pandemic that has cost them jobs, education opportunities and raised anxieties.

“Youth activists felt that the momentum we had created from years of campaigning, protesting and striking school would be diluted because of this uncertainty and postponement of big negotiations. In order to keep the momentum high and maintain the pressure on institutions and governments, summits like this one are extremely important,” Wickramanayake said.

Global Youth Summit speakers during live sessions and intergenerational dialogues. Courtesy: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Other outcomes of the Global Youth Summit included calls to:

  • advance food sovereignty for marginalised communities, which included recommendations to promote climate-smart farming techniques through direct access to funding for marginalised communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and extreme events,
  • motivate creative responses to the climate emergency, and
  • engineer sustainable futures through citizen science, which included recommendations to develop accessible education materials that promote the idea that everyone can participate in data collection and scientific knowledge creation.

The event was billed as not just a summit, but an experience. There were a number of sessions live streamed over the two weeks, including on youth engagement in conservation governance, a live story slam event, yoga as well as a session on how to start up and scale up a sustainable lifestyle business. There were also various networking sessions.

Diana Garlytska of Lithuania represented Coalition WILD, as the co-chair of the youth-led organisation, which works to create lasting youth leadership for the planet.

She told IPS the Summit was a “very powerful and immersive experience”.

“I am impressed at how knowledgeable the young people of different ages were. Many spoke about recycling projects and entrepreneurship activities from their own experiences. Others shared ideas on how to use different art forms for communicating climate emergencies. Somehow, the conversation I most vividly remember was on how to disclose environmental issues in theatrical performances. I’m taking that with me as food for thought,” Garlytska said.

For Emmanuel Sindikubwabo of Rwanda’s reforestation and youth environmental education organisation We Do GREEN, the Summit provided excellent networking opportunities.

“I truly believe that youth around the world are better connected because of the Summit. It’s scary because so much is going wrong because of the pandemic, but exciting because there was this invitation to collaborate. There is a lot of youth action taking place already. We need to do better at showcasing and supporting it,” he told IPS.

Sindikubwabo said he is ready to implement what he learned at the Summit.

“The IUCN Global Youth Summit has provided my team and I at We Do GREEN new insight and perspective from the global youth community that will be useful to redefine our programming in Rwanda….as the world faces the triple-crises; climate, nature and poverty, we made a lot of new connections that will make a significant positive change in our communities and nation in the near future.”

The Global Youth Summit took place less than six months before the IUCN World Conservation Congress, scheduled forSep. 3 to 11. Its outcomes will be presented at the Congress.

Reflecting on the just-concluded event, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth is hoping to see more of these events.

“I would like to see that this becomes the norm. This was IUCN’s first youth summit, which is great and I hope that it will not be the last, that it will just be a beginning of a longer conversation and more sustainable conversation with young people on IUCN… its work, its strategies, policies and negotiations,” Wickramanayake said.

Bal Ashram Students In Jaipur, India Learning AI Virtually From US During Pandemic

Staff ReporterCommunity, Youth 0

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s Bal Ashram students, 4-6 grades, in Jaipur India are learning Scratch Coding and Games virtually, with donated classes by TechnogenesisGlobal, Inc., an edu-tech non-profit based in Princeton-New Jersey, during the pandemic.

The classes are led by Bal Ashram’s Kinsu Kumar, who recently was awarded the Billion Acts of Peace Award by Peace Jam.

Billion Acts of Peace, initiative of the PeaceJam Foundation, a global movement led by fourteen Nobel Peace Prize Winners and youth around the world with the ambitious goal of creating One Billion Acts of Peace by 2021, and in doing so, inspiring everyday people to change the world – one Act of Peace at a time.

The one month pilot program was taught by American teachers skilled in technology. The future classes will explore robotics, 3D printing, other topics, and aligned with ILO 2025 goals and UN’s SDG 2030.

Bal Ashram formed in 1998, is the rehabilitation and training center of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) catering for the special needs of victims of child labour. It provides rescued children with the compassion, education and vocational training they so desperately need.

“I am grateful to TechnogenesisGlobal for generous donation of their time and expertise and for not giving up on my persistent request about these wonderful angels ” said Kumu Gupta, who has been working with Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi on child labor issues for some time.

2021 being marked as International Year of Elimination of Child Labor by ILO (International Labor Organization) , a U.N. body, Kumu sent in a proposal to U.N. Stamps to issue a stamp commomerating the occassion and is working with her Congressman to pass legislation for US companies to buy child labor free goods in US and globally. Kumu also sent in a proposal to Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, now US Labor Secretary for commorating 2021 as Elimination of Child Labor year once he took office.

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Indian Nurses Association of New York Announces Essay Contest

Paul PanakalWomen, Youth 0

Indian Nurses Association of New York (INA-NY), the professional organization of nurses of Indian origin in the State of New York is inviting essays to the annual competition.  The theme of the essay is “Nurses A Voice to Lead:  A Vision for Future Healthcare”.  All nurses of Indian origin/heritage living in New York State are eligible to participate in the competition.

The two-page essay should be double spaced, without any identifiable author’s personal information.  A separate cover page with author’s name, credentials, telephone number(s) and email address is to be submitted with the essay.

The winners of 1st and 2nd place will be announced at the Nurses Day celebration of INA-NY on May 8th. Nominations are also invited for Annual Student Scholarship for undergraduate and Associate degree nursing students of Indian origin.  The student must be a member of INA-NY. Application form for Graduate Nursing Student Scholarship can be obtained from inany.org.

Nominations for ‘INA-NY Nurse Excellence Award 2021’ are also accepted from INA-NY members.  The selected candidate will exemplify the very best attributes of Nursing profession, excelled in giving high quality patient care and demonstrated a commitment to professional nursing practice.

The leadership of INA-NY intents to utilize the Nurses Day celebrations for promoting nursing, nurses, education, health and wellness. The submission is to be sent to Grace Alexander, Chair of the Awards & Scholarship committee at gracemol@gmail.com.

Study On Social Media Use in 2021

Brooke Auxier and Monica AndersonMedia, Youth 0

Despite a string of controversies and the public’s relatively negative sentiments about aspects of social media, roughly seven-in-ten Americans say they ever use any kind of social media site – a share that has remained relatively stable over the past five years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults.

Beyond the general question of overall social media use, the survey also covers use of individual sites and apps. YouTube and Facebook continue to dominate the online landscape, with 81% and 69%, respectively, reporting ever using these sites. And YouTube and Reddit were the only two platforms measured that saw statistically significant growth since 2019, when the Center last polled on this topic via a phone survey.

When it comes to the other platforms in the survey, 40% of adults say they ever use Instagram and about three-in-ten report using Pinterest or LinkedIn. One-quarter say they use Snapchat, and similar shares report being users of Twitter or WhatsApp. TikTok – an app for sharing short videos – is used by 21% of Americans, while 13% say they use the neighborhood-focused platform Nextdoor.

Even as other platforms do not nearly match the overall reach of YouTube or Facebook, there are certain sites or apps, most notably Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, that have an especially strong following among young adults. In fact, a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds say they use Instagram (71%) or Snapchat (65%), while roughly half say the same for TikTok.

These findings come from a nationally representative survey of 1,502 U.S. adults conducted via telephone Jan. 25-Feb.8, 2021. With the exception of YouTube and Reddit, most platforms show little growth since 2019.

YouTube is the most commonly used online platform asked about in this survey, and there’s evidence that its reach is growing. Fully 81% of Americans say they ever use the video-sharing site, up from 73% in 2019. Reddit was the only other platform polled about that experienced statistically significant growth during this time period – increasing from 11% in 2019 to 18% today.

Facebook’s growth has leveled off over the last five years, but it remains one of the most widely used social media sites among adults in the United States: 69% of adults today say they ever use the site, equaling the share who said this two years prior.

Similarly, the respective shares of Americans who report using Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp are statistically unchanged since 2019. This represents a broader trend that extends beyond the past two years in which the rapid adoption of most of these sites and apps seen in the last decade has slowed. (This was the first year the Center asked about TikTok via a phone poll and the first time it has surveyed about Nextdoor.)

Adults under 30 stand out for their use of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. When asked about their social media use more broadly – rather than their use of specific platforms – 72% of Americans say they ever use social media sites.

In a pattern consistent with past Center studies on social media use, there are some stark age differences. Some 84% of adults ages 18 to 29 say they ever use any social media sites, which is similar to the share of those ages 30 to 49 who say this (81%). By comparison, a somewhat smaller share of those ages 50 to 64 (73%) say they use social media sites, while fewer than half of those 65 and older (45%) report doing this.

These age differences generally extend to use of specific platforms, with younger Americans being more likely than their older counterparts to use these sites – though the gaps between younger and older Americans vary across platforms.

Majorities of 18- to 29-year-olds say they use Instagram or Snapchat and about half say they use TikTok, with those on the younger end of this cohort – ages 18 to 24 – being especially likely to report using Instagram (76%), Snapchat (75%) or TikTok (55%).1 These shares stand in stark contrast to those in older age groups. For instance, while 65% of adults ages 18 to 29 say they use Snapchat, just 2% of those 65 and older report using the app – a difference of 63 percentage points.

Additionally, a vast majority of adults under the age of 65 say they use YouTube. Fully 95% of those 18 to 29 say they use the platform, along with 91% of those 30 to 49 and 83% of adults 50 to 64. However, this share drops substantially – to 49% – among those 65 and older.

By comparison, age gaps between the youngest and oldest Americans are narrower for Facebook. Fully 70% of those ages 18 to 29 say they use the platform, and those shares are statistically the same for those ages 30 to 49 (77%) or ages 50 to 64 (73%). Half of those 65 and older say they use the site – making Facebook and YouTube the two most used platforms among this older population.

Other sites and apps stand out for their demographic differences: Instagram: About half of Hispanic (52%) and Black Americans (49%) say they use the platform, compared with smaller shares of White Americans (35%) who say the same.2

WhatsApp: Hispanic Americans (46%) are far more likely to say they use WhatsApp than Black (23%) or White Americans (16%). Hispanics also stood out for their WhatsApp use in the Center’s previous surveys on this topic.

LinkedIn: Those with higher levels of education are again more likely than those with lower levels of educational attainment to report being LinkedIn users. Roughly half of adults who have a bachelor’s or advanced degree (51%) say they use LinkedIn, compared with smaller shares of those with some college experience (28%) and those with a high school diploma or less (10%).

Pinterest: Women continue to be far more likely than men to say they use Pinterest when compared with male counterparts, by a difference of 30 points (46% vs. 16%).

Nextdoor: There are large differences in use of this platform by community type. Adults living in urban (17%) or suburban (14%) areas are more likely to say they use Nextdoor. Just 2% of rural Americans report using the site.

A majority of Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram users say they visit these platforms on a daily basis. While there has been much written about Americans’ changing relationship with Facebook, its users remain quite active on the platform. Seven-in-ten Facebook users say they use the site daily, including 49% who say they use the site several times a day. (These figures are statistically unchanged from those reported in the Center’s 2019 survey about social media use.)

Smaller shares – though still a majority – of Snapchat or Instagram users report visiting these respective platforms daily (59% for both). And being active on these sites is especially common for younger users. For instance, 71% of Snapchat users ages 18 to 29 say they use the app daily, including six-in-ten who say they do this multiple times a day. The pattern is similar for Instagram: 73% of 18- to 29-year-old Instagram users say they visit the site every day, with roughly half (53%) reporting they do so several times per day.

YouTube is used daily by 54% if its users, with 36% saying they visit the site several times a day. By comparison, Twitter is used less frequently, with fewer than half of its users (46%) saying they visit the site daily.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Shows ‘100% Efficacy’ In Adolescents

Staff ReporterHealth, Science, Youth 0

The COVID vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to work in children as young as 12 years old. That news comes from results from a study the company conducted in volunteers aged 12 to 15, reports here suggest

The vaccine was 100% effective in protecting against symptomatic disease in a study of more than 2,200 children, the companies said. Researchers also didn’t find any safety concerns. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was safe and effective in adolescents as young as 12, the drug companies announced in a joint news release last week.

New clinical trials showed that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine elicits “100% efficacy and robust antibody responses” in adolescents from 12 to 15 years old, the drug company announced last week. The trial included 2,260 participants; the results are even better than earlier responses from participants ages 16 to 25.

Pfizer and its vaccine partner BioNTech said they will submit the results “as soon as possible” to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, asking regulators to expand their authorizations for the vaccine’s use in young people.

Pfizer will submit the data “in the coming weeks,” Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla said in a news release about the trial. Calling the results encouraging, he added that the company is acting “with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year.”

The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE safely protects children between the ages of 12 and 15, the companies said, results likely to lead to inoculations within that age group before this summer.

Data from a trial of the vaccine in nearly 2,300 people between the ages of 12 and 15 will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks, with the hope that vaccinations could begin before the next school year.

“Across the globe, we are longing for a normal life. This is especially true for our children. The initial results we have seen in the adolescent studies suggest that children are particularly well protected by vaccination,” said Ugur Sahin, chief executive of BioNTech, the German company that developed the vaccine in partnership with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

The findings, though expected, were much anticipated by parents, health authorities and school officials. They have been waiting for signs on when vaccines that adults have been getting could also be made available to children.

Like other authorized vaccines, the Pfizer-BioNTech shot hasn’t yet been cleared for use in adolescents under 16 years of age. Health experts say children will need to be vaccinated for a population to move past pandemic restrictions, like masking and physical distancing.

The vaccine was 100% effective at preventing symptomatic illness within the trial, with 18 cases of covid-19 in the group that received a placebo and none in the group that received the vaccine, the companies said. The vaccine triggered immune responses that were even more robust than those seen in young adults.

The data is the beginning of what many families, eager for normalcy to return, have been waiting to see. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently authorized by the FDA for emergency use for people 16 and older. If regulators extend the authorization to younger age groups, Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said that vaccinations could begin before the school year.

Last week, Pfizer-BioNTech also started a trial in younger children, ages 6 months to 11 years. That trial will step down in age, establishing a safe dose first in children 5 to 11, then in 2- to 5-year-olds and then in children from 6 months to 2 years.

U.S. biotech firm Moderna is also conducting similar trials to test its coronavirus vaccine in teenagers and young children. Its vaccine is authorized by the FDA for emergency use for people over age 18.

Moderna, whose COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for people 18 and older in the U.S., is also testing its vaccine in adolescents; it announced a trial of around 3,000 participants from 12 to 18 years old in December. Moderna also said earlier this month it had administered the first doses of its vaccine to young children in a separate study that involves kids from 6 months to less than 12 years old.

Johnson & Johnson, whose vaccine got U.S. authorization one month ago, has also been moving to include children in clinical trials. The company will test the vaccine in only a small number of adolescents initially, with plans to expand the study if it is shown to be safe, according to a spokesperson at Janssen, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that developed the vaccine.

GOPIO Organizes 1st Ever “India’s Outreach to the Diaspora – Youth Perspective”

Ajay GhoshCommunity, Culture, Youth 0

As the youth-led initiatives and their success stories around the world have shown, collective action from young people is already changing things for the better. Young people are the HOPE for the future as they are creative and fill of energy. Identifying youth leaders and supporting them in their efforts to be the leaders who could be a critical link between the government of India and the immigrant youth who are spread around the world.

With the objective of providing a youth forum that will provide a platform for the Disapor youth to help amplifying youth actions that will help create change in approach and programs by the Government of India, GOPIO International organized a virtual session on “India’s Outreach to Diaspora-Youth Perspective” on Sunday, March 7th, 2021. Attended by youth and senior leaders of the Diaspora from around the world, the event provided the participants a rare view into the youth and their perspectives on how the Diaspora youth power can be utilized creatively for the benefit of India and the world.

In his introductory remarks, after clarifying the role and the growth of GOPIO International, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the GOPIO International pointed out that, “India has the largest Diaspora in the world and it is still growing. Currently, the Indian Diaspora has a strength of over 32 million people.” Referring to the numerous initiatives that the Government of India (GOI) has taken with the objective of reaching out to the Diaspora, Dr. Thomas Abraham pointed out to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in India since 2013,  which showcases to the fact that “India has great interest to reach out and cultivate its Diaspora youth. It has several programs for the Diaspora youth and exploring more avenues to outreach.”

In this context, Dr. Abraham said, GOPIO International is organizing a virtual Zoom session for Indian Diaspora Youth who are High School/College/University students as well as young professionals up to the age 25 on “India’s Outreach to the Diaspora – Youth Perspective,” with participants from different countries. “Today’s event is one such event to encourage the youth of Indian origin to aspire to be youth leaders and to help network youth from around the world with the Youth in every GOPIO Chapter around the world.

Ambassador Anup Mudgal, chief guest and main speaker today at the event, had served as India’s former Ambassador to Mauritius and Chair, Diaspora Research and Resource Centre, ARSP, New Delhi. In his inspiring address, Ambassador Mudgal pointed out that Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad has been in existence for over three years, under the Ministry of External Affairs. The objectives of the ARSP, according to Mudgal is “to take the intiativs with Diaspora to the next level: 1. Outreach to Diaspora; 2. Engage the youth of Indian origin; 3. Help the Diaspora in research and publication; 4. Expanding of Diaspora organizations around the world and in India.

According to Ambassador Mudgal, “Youth Diaspora is a main pillar of ARSP.” Emphasizing that the ideas and actions must be derived from the Diaspora, he pointed out that several of them have been accepted by the Govt.”  Stating that the Indian Diaspora is one of the most successful in every domain, Ambassador Mudgal said, “You have done very well. You also enjoy tremendous good will among the host nations. Diaspora plays an important tool of power as each of you is the Ambassador of India.”

Suggesting that the “Engagement with the youth will be a regular phenomenon from now on,” he urged that the youth need to carry forward the flag to the upcoming generations. He asked the youth to reflect and find answers: “What makes the Indian Dispora stand out? What are the characteristics that make us successful? What are the changes we need to make to shine more? While your Indianness will always be with you, you need to understand how does that help shape your personality?”

The plan as per Ambassador Mudgal is that the Government of India will organize annual International conferences with representatives from 15 nations, during which the delegates will explore on the kind of relationship, engagement they expect from the Government of India. “This dialogue will continue for centuries to come,” he assured the participants.

The lively session attended by talented youth from the US and Europe was moderated by Beena Ramachandran of GOPIO CT. She said, two youth from the participants today will be chosen by a panel of Judges: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Anita Bhatt, Navin Pathak, Naumi Kaur. These 2 youth will attend the international youth conference to be held in April this year, she said.

Ananya Kotian, a Junior in high school aspiring to pursue an education in psychology, and is passionate about dance and singing, in her presentation pointed to how the media helps us to stay connected with India. Stating that how staying in touch with documentary makers, who creatively showcase the issues facing the people of India, Ananaya Kotian advocated for virtual cultural experiences. Founder of the blog Cultural Kaleidoscope, which delves into Asian culture from a young American Indian’s perspective, while pointing to the fact that many Diaspora leaders have been appointed to bigger roles in Biden administration, a tutor and STEM mentor for the Boys&Girls club, Kotian said, “We are successful because of the values we have inherited from our country of origin, India.”

Anjo George, a junior who is well-rounded in academic fields, music, swimming, and technology, and has been passionate about helping other students to improve their academics,  highlighted the history of hosting Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, celebrating Diaspora’s contributions to India and help stay connected with India. While referring to the Know India Program by the Government of India, George said, “It helps us learn and promote Indian culture, while enabling us share our views and bond closely with India, and help reflect a positive image about India.”  George suggested: 1. Cultural exchange at school levels; 2. Establish youth ambassadors with delegates from each country to discuss issues and propose solutions, modeling Model Congress/Model Youth; 3. Organize regular competitions on social issues faced by India; 4. Exploring and increasing study abroad programs and internships, this helping build leadership, culture and help make a global community of Indians.

Viswaa Sofat, a freshman at U.C. Berkeley studying Computer Science and Political Science, shared with the audience his experiences as someone who was both born and partially raised in India, and how he tries to remain strong and fundamental to his identity as a person of Indian origin. He hopes to use this opportunity to learn from other like-minded individuals and further involve Indian youth abroad. Vishwas Sofat said, he had immigrated to US at the age of 2. Later on, he returned to India, lived in India, modeling Israel how they attract youth to come to Israel. “Growing up in India helped me understand and appreciate the values, traditions, art and culture,” he said and added, “ India is at a critical junctures today with youth stepping up and joining protest movements in India.”  He suggested for the Diaspora youth to be able to connect with Universities in India and get diverse perspectives through structured programs organized for them. Easy access to obtain visa.

Nithya Shenoy, a freshman at Rice University in Houston, Texas, plans to double major in political science and neuroscience. Is a part of Rice’s student-run paper, Thresher, and enjoys writing political pieces, reading, playing the violin, and Model UN. She shared about Israel’s Diaspora Outreach, “which helps develop collective identities, creates a sense of oneness,” she said.  Referring to the African Nations Diaspora initoavesatives, she suggested to the need for grass root level outreach. Her recommendations included: 1. Scholarships through competitions with tourism component and education, which will help youth to become more connected. 2. Organize pent house programs, connecting with youth in other nations, and thus help understand how they perceive India. 3. Exposure through NGOs gives the youth an opening to understand and appreciate India better.

Vedant Gannu is a senior studying Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Data Engineer Co-op at Ellington Management Group. A youth member of GOPIO CT for years, he served on the GOPIO Youth Committee, helped organize events such as Indian Independence day celebration and the annual Youth Networking event in Stamford. As a proud Indian and ambitious student, he is interested in helping the Diaspora Youth as they are integral members of the Indian community that will serve as role models for future generations. In his address, Gannu said, Education is the key to job opportunities. His suggestions included: 1. Mentorship and exchange programs will provide a combination of global with local perspectives; 2. Infrastructure planning for better structural models; 3. Indian Government agencies need to offer internships and hire the youth who can share global perspectives to local problems/issues; 4. Scholarships in less popular areas of study.

Alicia Kaur, a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Legal Studies, said, her dream is to one day become a lawyer and fight for racial justice and a more inclusive society. Coming from one of the most diverse universities in the United States and being a minority herself, she believes her personal experiences are what drive her towards this goal. A winner of the Women in Leadership Award from Ernst and Young, pointed out how, the Indian Diaspora has become the “most successful community in the US, as shining examples with many influential organizations has the highest per capita income, most educated, and holding influential positions around the nation, especially with dozens of Indian Americans appointed to top positions in Biden administration.  Her suggestions included, the need for a new NRI policy; partnership with tech/research sectors;  student exchange programs; and, collaboration in healthcare.

Abhi Parikh, currently living in Paris, and originally from Ahmedabad, India, said, she is involved in 2 start-ups, one is in the education sector and another in the food sector, and is immensely passionate about her work.  Apart from that, she has started a few Indian communities on Facebook, just to gather Indian people on a common platform, she said. While suggesting that the youth have huge potential., she urged the government to tap this force through encouraging steps. She shared with the participants about how developing social media platforms help youth establish startups by youth. Focusing on entrepreneurial migration, she said, they help give access to information; access to network and sharing; access to business through exchange programs.

Akshat Gupta, a young professional in the field of Medical Technology, based in Munich, Germany, had moved out of India more than a decade ago in the pursuit of newer academic and career opportunities, and has had the good fortune of having worked and lived in multiple cultures. Stating that his leisurely activities include astronomy, sky-diving, and going off the grid once in a while, Gupta praised the ever changing dynamic of Indian diaspora, and suggested that the outreach programs by the Government of India needs to adapt and change according to the need and times. Connecting with various sub culures and diversification of missing links and helping them connect with the expats. Stressing that the Indian Missions around the world need to play a more active role in the life of Diaspora, Gupta said, he appreciates the new initiatives and would look forward to how the Government is able to listen to the perspectives of the youth and how these suggestions are being heard and acted upon.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Abraham promised that “After the session, all ideas will be pooled to make recommendations which two of the youth from the session will speak at a Webinar organized by Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad (ARSP) from Delhi in April, 2021.”

Gautam Adani World’s Biggest Wealth Gainer, Adds $16.2 Billion In 2021

Staff ReporterBusiness, Finance/Economy, Youth 0

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has achieved a remarkable milestone amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as he added the highest wealth to his fortune in the world, as per the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index showed that so far in 2021, Adani has added $16.2 billion, taking his total net worth to $50 billion. With this surge in his wealth, Adani is now the 26th richest person in the world.

Even though he’s not in the club of the 25 richest people on the planet, Gautam Adani has managed to ‘outgrow’ fellow billionaires, including the two richest men in the world, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, by seeing his net worth ballooning the most in 2021. While Adani has added $16.2 billion to his wealth since the start of this year, Amazon’s Bezos has seen his wealth shrink by $7.59 billion to $183 billion while Tesla’s Musk added $10.3 billion to reach $180 billion, as per Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The development comes at a time when the Adani Group is rapidly expanding its footprint in diversified sectors, including airports business and data centres. Recently, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited announced that Windy Lakeside Investment Ltd, a unit of Warburg Pincus, will invest Rs 800 crore for a 0.49 per cent stake in the company.

Shares of several Adani companies have surged over the past one year amid the pandemic, adding to its Chairman’s wealth. Adani Enterprises’ shares have increased over four-fold in the past one year and the stock price of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has more than double during the period.

Google Co-founder Larry Page is ranked second in terms of highest gain in wealth with a growth of $14.3 billion. Amazon Inc Founder Jeff Bezos is the richest person on the planet with a net worth of $183 billion, followed by Elon Musk with a net worth of $180 billion.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the 10th richest person in the world with a net worth of $84.8 billion. So far in 2021, he has added $8.05 billion of wealth. (IANS)

Adani’s fattening wallet has been on account of a surge in investor interest in his companies across sectors such as ports, power plants, renewable power, airports, data centres and coal mines. Except for one company, all his other companies have seen their share prices appreciate by over 50% this year — the odd one out being Adani Green Energy, whose 12% rise in 2021 gets dwarfed by the 500% rise in its value in 2020.

Known to be media shy, the self made first generation billionaire is also not a stranger to controversies. His Carmichael coal mine project in Australia has been the object of disaffection of environmentalists for fear of damage to the ecology and the company was renamed last year as Bravus Mining and Resources in order to distance itself from the Adani brand name.

Meet New Billionaires: Apoorva Mehta And Nikhil Kamath

Rana AyyubBusiness, Youth 0

While 2020 was a grim year for countless businesses across the world, strangely, it was also a time when India added new billionaires to its list. In fact, India now stands third in the number of Indian-origin billionaires after China and the US.

The COVID-induced lockdown came as a blessing in disguise for a handful of entrepreneurs who sure made the best out of the situation.

One of the youngest of this is the 34-year-old Apoorva Mehta, founder of the grocery delivery app, Instacart. And along with him is Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha, also 34, in the feat with a net worth of $1.7 billion each.

Mehta’s Instacart saw exponential growth during the lockdown in 2020 and made him a billionaire. The San Francisco-headquartered grocery delivery app helps users to buy groceries and medicines from local pharmacies and retailers. Instacart also provides “personal shoppers” who pick up a user’s order from the store and deliver it to their doorstep.

Born in India, Mehta grew up in Canada. He studied engineering at the University of Waterloo. According to Forbes, Mehta worked with companies such as Blackberry, Qualcomm and Amazon before founding Instacart in 2012. In 2010, he left Amazon to begin his entrepreneurial journey and moved to San Francisco, US.

According to LA Times, between 2010 and 2012, Mehta had come up with 20 start-up ideas, which failed. Then he thought of doing something to solve his daily problems like grocery shopping.

Forbes quoted Mehta speaking at a Y Combinator talk in 2014, “The reason to start a company should never be to start a company. The reason to start a company should be to solve a problem that you truly, truly care about.”

In fact, Mehta went ahead only after first testing the utility of the app on himself. The Forbes report mentions that Mehta was Instacart’s first customer and personal shopper, adding that he used to order his own groceries through his app, pick them and deliver it to himself.

The app’s increased popularity amid the lockdown and latest funding round, when the company raised $225 million, helped catapult Instacart’s valuation to $13.7 billion from $7.9 billion, as estimated by Forbes. This increased the value of Mehta’s 10 percent stake in the company to $1.2 billion, making him the newest member of the billionaires’ club.

Instacart has now expanded from San Francisco to more than 5,500 cities across the US and Canada. Instacart has also hired 3 lakh, new shoppers, since March 2020 and plans to hire 2.5 lakh more for one-hour or same-day deliveries.

There are now 3,228 billionaires globally, up from 414 in 2020. Their total wealth rose $3.5 trillion or 32 percent to $14.7 trillion.

Young Climate Activist Varshini Prakash Recognized As Woman of the Year 2021

Staff ReporterCommunity, Women, Youth 0

A climate activist, Varshini Prakash was given the coveted Woman of the Year 2021during the annual awards ceremony on Saturday, March 6th . She was chosen for the award for her courage, persistence and energy to inspire to the next generation to join the battle to make the world a better place. Ms. Prakash was on the TIME 100 Next List in 2019 and also made to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 2020.

As per reports, a panel of nine independent judges on Saturday broke from the tradition and chose 27-year-old and she was honored with the award at the 18th annual INDIA New England Woman of the Year Awards ceremony organized virtually.

The organizers of the awards ceremony said, “Ms. Prakash is leading a climate revolution in U.S. politics. Co-founder and Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement, as well as co-author of the book “Winning the Green New Deal: Why We Must, How We Can”, Ms. Prakash has led a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process, while bringing The Green New Deal to the attention of millions during the recent election.”

In her acceptance speech, Ms. Prakash said she was surprised to win this honor, and said “the people should lead and the leaders follow” calling upon all of the people to come together to fight against climate change. Only then perhaps leaders will listen and take concrete far-reaching measures, she said.

“It is indeed a very proud moment for the New England community to celebrate these amazing women and their journeys and recognize a young and vibrant leader in Varshini Prakash as the Woman of the Year,” said Praveen Tailam, Chair TiE Global who headed an independent panel of nine judges. “Launching and growing a revolution to address the climate crises through her Sunrise movement is no easy task. Varshini’s courage, persistence, and energy inspire the next generation to join the battle to make the world a better place and create new jobs.”

Mr. Tailam added: “Varshini is a real trailblazer by embarking on a path less traveled, especially from our community. It is upon us to nurture such selfless individuals and elevate the initiatives that affect the entire human race.”

In addition to Mr. Tailam, the right other judges were: Nikhil Bhojwani Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Recon Strategy; Shipra Dubey, PhD, Principal Associate, Harvard Medical School Director, Radiochemistry, Research and Development, BICOR, Radiology Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Vineeta Kumar, President Indian American Getting Involved Group; Santhana Krishnan, Founder, South Asian Art Gallery and Managing Partner, Om Ventures; Revathy Ramakrishna, Co-Founder, Vision-Aid; Preetesh Shrivastava, Founder, Hindi Manch and Preetesh Entertainment, LLC; Meena Subramanyam , Vice President and Global Program Leader, Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Bala Sundaram, PhD, Vice Provost for Research & Dean of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Judges also selected two out of 20 Outstanding Women for Honorable Mentions. “We were entrusted to pick one winner and it was hard. Along with the winner the jury decided to honorably mention two incredible women and in no particular order,” said Mr. Tailam. “Rhitu Siddarth. Rhitu has been bravely providing humanitarian leadership thru her work with UN in many troubled and battled countries like Syria, Sudan, Libya and more over the last 18 years. So proud of you. And Priti Chatter, who quietly and surely make an impact to solving problems that address the immediate needs of billion people.”

Bharatanatyam dance teacher Sridevi Ajai Thirumalai, who has taught over 1,000 students and has developed her own-style of teaching classical dance to Indian-American children, received India New England News Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mandy Pant and Jharna Madan served as emcees of the evening. Tech support was provided by Sraveo. Key sponsors included Boston Group/Sybu Kota, BMW Sudbury/Pranav Gill, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Alankar Decorators, Boston Sound & Light Company, Dyuti Majumdar Photography.

“I always say that you do not get Woman of the Year award. It finds you. Somehow an independent jury panel finds someone who is right for the role in that moment in time from 20 fantastic and extremely qualified women,” said Dr. Manju Sheth, director hostess of the Woman of the Year awards. “Climate change is currently on everyone’s mind so not surprisingly that Varshini, a leader in climate revolution with her sunrise movement is Woman of the Year 2021. She is perhaps our youngest winner. Congratulations to her. We are proud of her. Congratulations also to Rhitu Siddarth and Priti Chatter for special well deserved recognition as well.”

UN Peacebuilding Commission Must Priorities Protecting Youth Activists Facing Retaliation

Samira SadequeCommunity, Youth 0

The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission must prioritise the protection of youth activists who face retaliation from state and non-state actors, said UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake.

Wickramanayake was speaking at the Peacebuilding Commission high-level virtual meeting on Youth, Peace and Security, where she outlined numerous ways the commission can assist youth activists around the world — especially with their grassroots efforts.

“I hope you will consider including young people in your delegation to building commissions, consult young people in your own countries to input to your work and, most importantly, ensure the protection of young people who you decide to engage with as we have seen many incidents of retaliation against young activists by state and non-state actors for simply deciding to speak up and working with the UN,” Wickramanayake, from Sri Lanka, told the commisison.

Other speakers at the event included Mohamed Edrees, chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, Allwell O. Akhigbe of Building Blocks for Peace Foundation in Nigeria and Oscar Fernández-Taranco, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

Wickramanayake comments come when youth activists are facing attacks and harassment online and offline. Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg has faced massive backlash for supporting the Indian farmers’ protests, while Indian youth activist Disha Ravi was arrested because of her activism in support of the protests.

Wickramanayake further highlighted the importance of acknowledging and promoting local grassroots organisations working in the field of youth peacebuilding.

“Young people around the world are building national coalitions, conducting baseline studies and monitoring efforts in support of youth-led peacebuilding,” she said.

She added that these organisations require “adequate, predictable and sustained” financing to thrive but this was yet to be explored.

“I would like to challenge this commission today to consider what the peacebuilding commission can do to encourage this critical support and resources at the local level where they are actually making a big difference,” she said.

Wickramanayake recommended that the commission should not only support a “substantial increase in the financial resources” for peace and security, but it should also make sure that the resources go directly to youth working on “homegrown building strategies”.

Mia Franczesca D. Estipona, from the Generation Peace Youth Network in the Philippines, also shared the importance of involving youth who are directly affected by issues such as conflict.

“In creating facilities for youth projects and capacity building for support, we must make an effort to directly engage with youths in areas affected by conflict, understand their work and how it contributes back to the community,” Estipona said. “This is highly important especially for community-based youths who have programmes and projects but cannot be sustained due to lack of access to funding and support.”

Both Estipona and Wickramanayake emphasised the importance of representation and being inclusive of marginalised youths or those whose stories are often left behind.

Wickramanayake highlighted the work of a colleague who promotes the voices of youth with disabilities and had reportedly briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Central African Republic by broadcasting the issue of youth, peace and security in sign language.

“[Their] organisation removes barriers limiting the participation of young people with disabilities in peacebuilding, actively mobilising the deaf community to act on Resolution 2250,” she said, referring to the UN Security Council Youth, Peace & Security thematic resolution that deals with the topic of youth from an international peace and security perspective.

Meanwhile, Estipona pointed out: “Many youth organisations have established strong programmes that truly represent and attend to youth who are in areas affected by conflict – their voices are most left behind.”

“We should pursue representation that truly represents and focuses on the collective efforts of youth as a community — and as a sector of society, not just as a different individual,” she said.

Other speakers at the event agreed with both Wickramanayake and Estipona included:

Ambassador Rabab Fatima, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, said that it’s crucial to address the “distinct needs” of the youth as the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

She highlighted the importance of access to education, sufficient funding, and including youth participation in peacebuilding as part of the “broader national policy framework”.

Estipona said the engagement of the youth must be sustained in various stages of the process of peacebuilding: consultation, crafting, implementation and monitoring.

“Continuity of these efforts is still a challenge because they are constantly shifting priorities of stakeholders and leadership,” she said.

In offering recommendations on how to strengthen youth participation and involvement, Wickramanayake said there must be a periodic review of the efforts to increase engagement with young people.

“Accountability is key,” she said, “[we] want to hear your strategic plan. Also think beyond security and think about the intersection of peace, sustainable development, and human rights.”

She also urged leaders to “walk the talk” – and prioritise the development of dedicated local, national and regional road maps and action plans.

International Women’s Day, 2021: To Change the World, Women Must Choose to Challenge

Patricia ScotlandWomen, Youth 0

Among the greatest gifts with which I have been blessed were parents who instilled in me a deep-rooted sense of identity, and the unequivocal belief that there was no difference between what a boy and a girl could achieve.

This assurance sustained me while growing up, as the tenth child out of twelve wonderful siblings, and through the numerous times when it was suggested by others that I would never succeed, simply because I was black, poor and female.

Patricia Scotland

When I set out on my career in law, a mere 3% of the profession were women, and less than 0.01% were black women. Given my background, few expected that I would one day become the first woman in 700 years to serve as Her Majesty’s Attorney-General for England and Wales.

We have come a long way since then, and today – thanks in a large part to sustained advocacy efforts over the years – there is encouraging progress in terms of gender equality in the Commonwealth.

Almost half the lawyers in the UK are women now. In the Commonwealth, a girl is just as likely to attend primary school as a boy, while on average, 56% of women participate in the labour force, and they make up the larger part of the informal sector.

To date, 13 member countries have achieved 30% or more female members of parliament, while ten have 30% or more ministers who are women. The Commonwealth Secretariat continues to work diligently alongside member countries through programmes that encourage women’s participation in politics to build on success already achieved.

However, there remains much progress to be made on several key indicators. Currently, only one in five Commonwealth parliamentarians is a woman, and only three Commonwealth countries have achieved gender parity in parliament. Women are still vastly under-represented in leadership positions in the science, academic and private sectors.

Furthermore, in an era where digital technology is becoming increasingly the norm, women in poorer countries face a ‘double digital divide’, being 14% less likely than men to own a mobile phone. In practical terms, this means that there are 200 million fewer women who can readily access this technology to find information or manage money online.

Other underlying systemic inequalities continue to be remarkably persistent, including the distressing prevalence of violence against women and girls, which remains high throughout the Commonwealth and across the world, despite the advances there have been in women’s economic status, leadership and agency.

Covid-19

A year into the global pandemic, it is clear that besides economic and social shocks, the consequences of COVID-19 are also exacerbating existing gender inequities.

In addition to rising cases of domestic violence, reports show that women have been losing their jobs at a greater rate than men, despite making up a smaller proportion of the formal labour force. Meanwhile, the burden of unpaid care work is being borne disproportionately by women.

Research indicates that women are overly represented in sectors and industries expected to decline because of COVID-19, such as education, accommodation and food services, wholesale and retail trade, arts and recreation, and public administration. Similarly, women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises which rely on tourism have also been affected, because of greatly reduced travel and visitor arrivals in most Commonwealth countries.

Notably, throughout this crisis, I have been impressed by the leadership demonstrated by female heads of government in the Commonwealth. Prime Ministers Mia Mottley of Barbados, Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand have all been rightly lauded for their able handling of the crisis, marked by coordinated action as well as compassion.

However, this also draws our attention to how few women hold these positions of leadership, underlining the need for politics and government to reflect more fairly and inclusively the societies they represent and serve.

International Women’s Day

This International Women’s Day, the Commonwealth Secretariat is highlighting ways in which it engages to challenge the gender inequalities that continue to hold back the economic, social and leadership potential of half of the world’s population.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has launched a social media campaign #SheLeadsTheWay, which aims to recognise women leaders across the Commonwealth, during COVID-19 and beyond.

On 5 March, we celebrated women’s contributions to ocean science in a virtual event featuring women from across the Commonwealth who are challenging gender norms through their work in ocean industries.

On 8 March, another virtual panel will put a spotlight on women’s leadership in responding to COVID-19 and charting an equitable recovery.

There remains much more to do to achieve gender equality in the Commonwealth, and in order to deliver Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Agenda. As the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on inequality emerges, laws and policies to support women’s empowerment are needed more than ever before, and it is vital that we should not be diverted from this priority by other competing demands during these times of crisis.

(The author is the sixth Commonwealth Secretary-General and the first woman to hold the post.)

When Will The Vaccine Be Available To Children In US?

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health, Youth 0

Children in high school — roughly ages 14-18 in the United States — should be able to get the vaccine “sometime this fall,” Fauci told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday last week. The mass vaccination of school-age children will allow millions of children to return sooner to in-person learning and ease the burden on millions of parents now caring for their offspring at home.

The United States could start vaccinating older children against Covid-19 by the fall and younger ones by year-end or early 2022, the White House’s top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

The mass vaccination of school-age children will allow millions of children to return sooner to in-person learning and ease the burden on millions of parents now caring for their offspring at home.

School reopenings, an intensely debated matter, have varied sharply across the country, with some private and religious schools opening before public schools and teachers in some areas protesting any early return.

But the decision Saturday by the US Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency use authorization to a new single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson has boosted the prospects for earlier reopenings. “We now have three really efficacious vaccines,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.”

With vaccines becoming available t​o protect against COVID-19, we’ve made a big step toward slowing down  the virus that causes this deadly disease. The first vaccines released are authorized for use in adults and teens who are at least 16 years old. High-risk groups such as frontline workers and elderly people are first in line to receive the vaccines, with other adults and teens likely to have access later this spring.

Research shows these new vaccines to be remarkably effective and safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges teens and adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them.

Before COVID-19 vaccines become available for younger teens and children, clinical trials need to be completed. This is to ensure they are safe and effective for these age groups. Children are not little adults; we can’t just assume a vaccine will have the same effect on a child as it does for someone older.

While there are current studies that include children as young as 12 years of age, it is critical that children of all ages be included in more trials as quickly as possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a terrible toll on children’s lives. We need more data on vaccines for children so they can be protected from this virus and the pandemic can be controlled. Once this information is available, the AAP will review it and make vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents.

For now, none of the three authorized vaccines in the US (also including Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) has been cleared for children under 16, but trials on children are under way.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s Memoir Is On New York Times Bestsellers List

Staff ReporterCinema, Youth 0

Actor, producer, activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has always been an overachiever and she added another feather to her cap, that of author, when she recently released her memoir titled Unfinished.

Unfinished, a memoir by multi-award-winning actor and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the newest to join the New York Times (NYT) bestseller list in the hardcover nonfiction category. Jonas is one of the many South Asian (Indian and Indian-American) authors on the bestseller lists.

The Dil Dhadakne Do actor took to her Instagram to share a video clip that featured the cover of her memoir along with some pictures marking major milestones and pivotal moments from the We Can Be Heroes actor’s life. The White Tiger actor captioned the video with words of gratitude for her fans, writing, “Soooo this happened…in less than a week… The New York Times Best Sellers list!! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported #Unfinished. Endlessly grateful.”

The memoir talks about the Bajirao Mastani actor’s life and career till date, featuring fun anecdotes and painful incidents that shaped the actor into who she is today through the book that has been described as a series of ‘personal essays, stories, and observations’. The “thoughtful and revealing” memoir takes readers on a journey through Priyanka’s childhood in India, the teenage years she spent in the United States living with her extended family in the Midwest, Queens and also the suburbs of Boston, where she faced racism.

The book then moves on to her India return, from where her journey surprisingly won her the titles of Miss India and Miss World, leading up to her Bollywood launch. Priyanka had spoken about her upbringing in a statement, “I am a product of traditional India and its ancient wisdom, and modern India and its urban bustle. My upbringing was always an amalgamation of the two Indians, and, just as much, of East and West.”

Unfinished, which was released on Feb. 9, offers insights into Jonas’s childhood in India; her formative teenage years in the United States; and her return to India, where she won the national and international beauty competitions that launched her global acting career.

Whether reflecting on her nomadic early years or the challenges she has faced as she has doggedly pursued her calling, Priyanka shares her challenges and triumphs with warmth and honesty, reads the book bio.

From her dual-continent twenty-year-long career as an actor and producer to her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, from losing her beloved father to cancer to marrying Nick Jonas, the memoir contains it all.

Indian-American US Vice President Kamala Harris’s memoir, The Truths We Told has been on the NYT bestseller list in the paperback nonfiction category for 19 weeks now. Ambitious Girl by Meena Harris, lawyer and Kamala Harris’s niece, which is about the celebration of female ambition, has been on the NYT bestseller in the children’s picture books category for four weeks now.

In ‘Girlhood,’ Teens Across The Globe Write About Their Everyday Lives

Isabella Gomez SarmientoWomen, Youth 0

Masuma Ahuja can vividly recall what she wore on her first day of school in the United States: black jeans and a gray and orange T-shirt.  It was the early 2000s and her family had just moved from India to Pittsburgh. She remembers a boy at her middle school asking her, on that very first day, about what she was wearing.

“He was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that you wore [Western] clothes in India,” she says. “He thought India was very much a place where there were snake charmers and elephants on the street.”

The India that her classmate had pictured was pulled from storybooks and fantasy — but the reality was that Ahuja grew up in more affluent neighborhoods of Mumbai and Bangalore. Those misconceptions about the lives of those in different places — especially women and girls — stuck with her as she went on to become a journalist at The Washington Post and CNN.

And it raised a question — what is life really like for girls around the world?

She sets out to answer it in her new book, Girlhood: Teenagers Around The World In Their Own Voices. Published in February, it captures snapshots of everyday life from 30 girls around the globe in the form of diary entries.

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There’s Claudie, a 13-year-old surfer from Pango Village in Vanuatu who dreams of becoming a lawyer; Halima, a 17-year-old from Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, who listens to Celine Dion and helps her father peel potatoes for his job before school; Sattigul, a 16-year-old who comes from a family of nomadic herders in western Mongolia, loves her pet eagle and wants to one day be an English translator.

Diza Saxena, 16, lived in Mumbai when she wrote her entries in 2019 — but moved to Dubai in 2020. Her contributions to the book discussed her wish to be “cute, cool and popular” at her school in Mumbai. Saxena says girls at her new school aspire to the same qualities. “The kids that don’t fit into that standard are always alone,” she says. “But when I spent time with them, we had so much fun.”

NPR talkrf to Ahuja about the inspiration and process behind capturing the girls’ ordinary lives: their hopes, dreams, anxieties and frustrations.  This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you choose to focus on girls’ “ordinary” lives?

I was in South Asia bouncing around [reporting] and I realized very quickly that the ways in which [Western media] told stories of girls generally fell into some set buckets: sexualization, victimization, gender-based violence, which are really important stories to tell.

On the other side of it, we had a lot of stories about exceptional girls fighting back, girls like Malala [Yousafzai], Greta [Thunberg], Emma Gonzalez, [who rose to the spotlight after surviving the Parkland shooting and standing up against gun violence]. But the vast in-between is where most ordinary girls’ lives exist. And there just wasn’t any representation of that. So that’s part of the reason I wanted to do this.

Why did you decide to use diary entries as a format?

Diary entries felt like a very natural way to get girls to tell their own stories and have ownership about how their lives and stories are represented.

Can you share an example of a girl’s ordinary life that you highlight in the book? What makes that girl’s story so special?

Chen Xi from Singapore writes about staying up late finishing her homework, her school and her teachers, her love of poetry and books, and her hopes to study English literature in college. Her story is unique to her — shaped by her circumstances, her community, her culture and her interests — but it’s also deeply relatable, whether you’ve lived in Singapore or taken the classes she did in school.

Naya Sarah, 18, lives in Berlin. Her family moved there from Damascus, Syria when she was age 13 to escape the civil war. Her diary entries, written in 2019, chronicle her rigorous schedule in the International Baccalaureate program at her school. Her final exams for graduation ended up being cancelled because of the pandemic. And she’s worried about how the pandemic may limit her opportunities.

What is universally true about girls from reporting your book?

Despite the differences in circumstances, cultures and identities between the girls in this book, often the day-to-day texture of their lives looked similar:the types of conversations they had with friends and family; the things they worried about; their big hopes and dreams for the future. And while girls’ circumstances vary, girls everywhere are growing up in a world that is not equitable.

How did you connect with the girls and decide who would be in the book?

Some of the girls I [found] through NGOs [nonprofit organizations]. I didn’t want to ever approach a girl, like direct message her on Instagram and say, “Hey, do you want to do this?” I wanted to go through someone they trusted or knew. My only real requirement in looking for girls was I wanted to include people who felt comfortable sharing their lives and wanted to share their lives.

What kind of instructions or guidance did you provide for the diary entries?

Everyone got the same instructions in their own language, which were like, “Here are some things you can write about. Also, you are welcome to ignore all of my instructions and write about something entirely different,” which often happens. And then I would ask more questions about things I wanted to know more about.

But it really varied girl to girl. The girl in Baghdad — Ruqaya — she would text me in the evening and tell me what was going on with her, so her diary entries were sent to me in real time. But on the other hand, Shanai from New Jersey pulled out her journal and was like, “Hey, I’m going to l take photos of three entries I’m thinking of exploring. What sounds good to you?” We talked through what she wanted to include, what she felt comfortable with, and she just sent me photos of her journal.

Raksa Hong, 20, is the first person in her family to go to college. She attends the University of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. Her entries in Girlhood from 2019 look back on a happy childhood that she can’t help but miss amid the stress of school. Reflecting on her entries now, she says she hopes it gives people a glimpse of the sacrifices she’s made to get to where she is today.

Were there any stories that particularly stood out to you or resonated with you in a special way?

The cheesy answer is that I feel like I relate to all the girls in some way, and that was really surprising. I have moved many times in my life — I’m an immigrant many times over — and I am living on a different continent from my family at the moment.

I think back a lot to the girls who wrote about homesickness and moving away from their families right now. I remember when we were going through final edits, the two girls whose entries really resonated with me at that time were Ruoxiao from China, who is in the U.K. studying, and Varvara from Russia, who wrote about her wish to leave home in Saransk for Moscow.

They both talked about the very specific longing to go to a new place and live a bigger life and thinking that big, exciting things are happening elsewhere. There’s so much for me to do and I just can’t wait for it.

What do you hope readers take away from Girlhood?

I hope that every reader will find themselves reflected in unexpected corners of their stories. And I hope that every girl who picks up the book recognizes that her voice is important and belongs in the pages of a book.

Karthik Murugan, A Ninth-Grader Develops Chess Guidebook To Teach Beginners

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Chess enthusiast Karthik Murugan, a ninth-grade student at Downingtown East High School in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, recently released a book entitled, ‘Legal Attack: Chess – An Intellectual Board War.’ The book is designed to aid novices in learning and mastering puzzles needed to win games and boost chess ratings, according to a press release.

The book contains 30 powerful chess tactics, each with 10 puzzles for readers to practice and solve. Organized from simple to complex, the puzzles allow readers to gradually move through the most important aspects of the game, review common tactics, mates and traps, and advance their technique.

Moving from the simple to more complex, the puzzles hope to allow readers to gradually move through the most important aspects of the game, review common tactics, mates and traps, and advance their technique. Murugan, who began playing chess in 2014, was inspired to write ‘Legal Attack’ after struggling to find a chess guide that was both tailored toward beginners and expansive in scope.

“I have read hundreds of chess books,” Murugan is quoted saying in the press release. “Not many books are out there that are crisp enough to inspire a beginner or a moderate player and advise them of the powerful techniques needed to win the games. Chess is all about attacking and defending. It’s a war, and you need to win.”

According to his bio, Murugan’s peak United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating is approximately 1,700, and he has played 800 games in 170 USCF-rated tournaments.

He is also a two-time Greater Mid-Atlantic Elementary Champion and a two-time Pennsylvania State Scholastic Bughouse Champion. He also won the 2017 US Open National Elementary Chess Championship.

Karthik Murugan is a ninth-grade student at Downingtown East High School in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. He has been playing chess since 2014 and now teaches kids and promotes chess in the local area. His peak United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating is approximately 1700, and he has played 800 games in 170 USCF-rated tournaments. He surpassed 1000 in his first 20 tournaments. Notably, Karthik is a two-time Greater Mid-Atlantic Elementary Champion and a two-time Pennsylvania State Scholastic Bughouse Champion. He also won the 2017 US Open National Elementary Chess Championship. To learn more about Murugan, please visit karthikmurugan.com.

Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit www.archwaypublishing.com or call 888-242-5904.

India’s Missing Children: A Heartbreaking Truth

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There could be nothing more heartbreaking to parents than losing a child, especially if the case remains unsolved for years and years. That is the situation with India’s missing children. According to missing children statistics, one child goes missing in India every eight minutes. And it’s disconcerting to see how they barely make the headlines.

 

The truth is that the case of missing children in a country of more than a billion people can be easily overlooked. After all, there are far more pressing issues that the government and authorities need to focus on. To parents who lost a child, however, the pain never goes away and continues to haunt them even in their waking hours.

 

On May 11, 2018, Shehzadi Malik lost her nine-year-old son, Kabir. The last sighting of the child was at 2:25 pm as he made his way home from school. It was recorded by CCTV footage, which his mother kept on going back to in order to search for clues.

 

Kabir is just one of the many missing children who make up the staggering statistics. The where, why, and how could be hard to find out. But there are some truths that point to the fate of most of these children and the reasons they are missing.

 

Forced Child Labor

 

The Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a non-profit organisation campaigning for children’s rights, published a research report titled “The Missing Children of India” in 2018. It outlines forced labour as one of the most prominent causes of why children go missing. The child-trafficking for forced labour has long been a headache to the government.

 

It’s not easy to curb, but efforts have been made to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. One step that the government has done was to put the records of shelter homes in digital format, making it easy to find and retrieve information as needed. They also shut down hundreds of illegal shelter homes in several states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

 

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was also enacted. This means perpetrators of the worst forms of child labour will face new, stringent penalties.

 

Organ Trafficking

 

In a report published in 2005, the National Human Rights Commission points to a connection between organ trafficking and missing children. While there is the Transportation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act, organ transplantation in India is in high demand, which leads to a flood of illegal organ trafficking. Children are vulnerable and easy targets, so it’s not surprising to find that many cases of missing children point to the illegal organ and transplant trade.

 

The national secretary of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan movement has said that many times, while trying to locate missing children, they have found dead bodies of children with missing vital organs. It’s a lucrative, organized business. Selling vital organs like kidneys to high-paying patients fosters an illegal trade market that is difficult to curtail.

 

Most of the time, investigations only conclude that the bodies just lay around in a stream, gored by animals.

 

Sex Trafficking

 

Child trafficking for sex is a global issue, and India has emerged as one hub of this illicit trade. Most of the victims are teenagers who were tricked into sexual slavery. It’s hard to establish a figure, but the high volume of trafficking numbers is in thousands every year. Girls are often sold in brothels, falling into a trap of prostitution with no hope of escape in sight. Others are found in the red-light districts of big cities.

 

This problem is closely interlinked with poverty and illiteracy. Girls who became victims of sexual slavery usually long to flee their homes and the desperate grind of their day-to-day lives. They have not had an opportunity to go to school. Often, they are married off while they are as young as 13. Perhaps, shockingly, the most harrowing cases are those of girls who were knowingly sold into slavery by their own parents or relatives.

 

In West Bengal, recent efforts were made to find and rescue missing girls who were sold to brothels, thanks to the pressure of anti-trafficking activists.

 

Bringing the sad and heartbreaking truth about missing children into light can help open the eyes of parents and authorities, spurning them into action in the process. Missing children cases are often complex, but knowing the root causes can hopefully guide those who have the power to diminish and curb this very pressing issue.

 

 

 (Picture: Their World)

Alarming Rate Of Nation’s Opioid Deaths

Manu ShahLifestyle, Youth 0

On 5th July 2020, Ikonkar Manmohan Singh Sandhu, a young 23 year old boy, died from an opioid overdose in Michigan just months before he was to be married. He is by no means an isolated case in the Indian American community.

 

A small group of doctors are sounding the alarm on the nation’s opioid crisis. Dr. Arun Gupta is one of those who is urging health authorities to wake up to this catastrophe, which is ripping through communities with scant regard for race, gender, educational level or financial standing.

 

To be fair, before COVID-19 ravaged the country, the growing opioid addiction was giving the nation’s health officials sleepless nights. The pandemic put this issue on the back burner and while more Americans are dying from the virus, it can be just as deadly if left unchecked.

 

Opioid overdoses have killed more than 70,000 young people annually between the ages of

18-54 for the past five years. In 2011, the CDC reported that overdose deaths superseded auto accident deaths for the first time in 32 states This is now virtually true for all 50 states. The organization also reported that more than 700,000 young Americans have died between 1999- 2017 from poly drug overdose. That number is expected to be as high as one million by the end of 2020. The report further states that, “preventable disease & retroactive analysis show that most of these deaths were unintentional.”  Isolation, stress and the depression, that came in the wake of the pandemic is shooting cases through the roof. “Parents are burying their children and children are burying their parents,” says Dr. Gupta.

 

Dr. Gupta is quick to rid you of the rosy view that Indo American families have been unaffected by this affliction. It is a growing trend in the community, he says, largely due to parents’ unrealistic expectations for their children or the ABCD generation that faces conflicting cultures. What worsens it, is that many are either in denial or wary of seeking professional help for fear of being stigmatized or shunned. These are lives that could have easily been saved, he laments, much like the case of a distant relative who died because the family hesitated to reach out for help or were unaware of the problem.

 

A physician for 34 years, of which 14 are as a doctor of addiction management, Dr. Gupta has seen enough to be worried. He has been charting the surge in cases throughout the nation for the past decade and is seeing it played out at his doorstep – the rural region of Monroe, Michigan where he runs his private practice.

 

For 11 years, Dr Gupta was the local prison doctor where he saw the interplay of drugs and death up close and the ineffectiveness of the administration’s efforts to curb it. This pushed him to change tracks from being a general physician to addiction management. Rural communities, he observes, are more prone to opioid addiction than urban areas where the population is better educated and have higher paying jobs. The problem is compounded when there is family instability, lack of education, poverty,  physical, mental and sexual abuse in childhood, mental illness or addiction both in the family and the patient.

 

So why are addictive opioids prescribed in the first place and how do they hook us? About 25 years ago, pharma company Purdue, manufacturers of the painkiller Oxycodone, pushed the government to sanction prescribing painkillers for non-cancer related pain. The American Pain Society also classified pain as the fifth vital sign after blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight. Statistically, 40% of the country’s population is in chronic pain and many require pain medication to carry out their daily activities or even go in to work.

 

Addiction starts innocuously enough with a prescription for a painkiller to treat post-surgery or chronic pain as in instances of back pain. Consuming these painkillers diminishes the pain but also brings on a euphoric feeling as it raises dopamine – the brain’s pleasure hormone. Celebrities like Michael Jackson were known to use them before a performance, a term referred to as, “spotlight euphoria.” Additionally, it changes the perception of reality for those dealing with psychological issues such as an inferiority complex or anxiety,  these people now start “liking themselves and feeling good.” This altered reality quickly spirals into an emotional and social need followed by dependence and cravings for the painkiller.

 

The signs of addiction are evident in drastic mood changes, lethargy or impaired decision-making, among others. Discontinuing the painkillers could lead to a host of withdrawal symptoms such as chills, tremors, body aches, bone pain, vomiting, diarrhea or irregular respiration. However, Dr. Gupta clarifies that not everyone gets addicted to painkillers and the risk of  addiction is only about 10%.

 

Soon, Oxycodone grew so popular that it began to have, “street value.” When prescriptions ran out, users turned to the streets where it could be obtained illegally. Hustlers began faking health issues to procure and sell these painkillers giving rise to the term “pill-mill.” The cost of one milligram of Oxycontin is one dollar so someone using 1000mg was spending $1000 a day. While insurance took care of legitimate prescriptions, those who were addicted were shelling out their own money. This, of course, was done in connivance with “some doctors who played the game.” Dr. Gupta estimates that about 1000 doctors have been apprehended so far for violating this practice and have “tarnished the image of doctors.”

 

There is an obvious connection between mental disorders and addictive disorders and its consequences can sometimes be life threatening. Doctors, however, are required by law to treat pain with painkillers even if there is a sense/awareness that this medication could become addictive to the patient. On the other hand, if doctors practice caution in prescribing pain medication, they risk a bad review on their practice, something every doctor understandably wants to avoid.

 

In 1999, the Center for Disease Control went on record for the first time and shared its report of 4000 young Americans who died from drugs. The government scrutinized the problem and rolled out the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000. For the first time, this law allowed practicing doctors to learn and treat addiction with an FDA approved drug. The law also stipulated that any practicing doctor could complete an addiction program and receive a X DEA license which would allow them to treat 30 patients per month for a year. If the doctor’s records are found in order, they could treat 100 patients per month. Past President Barack Obama signed a law that would allow some doctors with specific credentials to treat 275 patients a month. This number was controlled to prevent its misuse but sometimes the best-intentioned laws have unintended consequences.

 

This one did.

 

Only 4300 doctors in the US can treat 275 patients a month and Dr. Gupta is one of them. It’s a drop in the ocean for the estimated 20-40 million people who need help overcoming their addiction. There are more than 100,000 healthcare providers in the country that include doctors, nurses and physician assistants who have the necessary X- DEA credentials  to treat opioid use disorders. But less than 20,000 are actively involved in dealing with the growing opioid epidemic in the country. This lack of access to a healthcare provider aggravates the problem leading to more deaths than recoveries. Meanwhile, the pandemic has not made things easier. There is excessive stress and limited counselling due to the shutdowns and prescriptions cannot be given on the phone without the necessary drug testing. This explains the rise in overdose deaths and addiction cases in the past nine months.

 

Apart from flawed policy, the American Society of Addiction states that every doctor who graduates from medical school is required to study addiction management. There are 179 medical schools and approximately 9000 residency programs in the country and not one of them teaches this course.  Moreover, addiction management is not considered on par with other areas of medical specialization and neither do insurance companies view addiction like other chronic diseases such as blood pressure or diabetes.

 

In 2002, a drug Buprenorphine was approved for addiction treatment and ten years later another drug Zubsolv made it to treatment plans. These drugs block the opioid receptors in the brain and reduce a person’s craving for the painkiller. Another ingredient in the drug, naloxone, reverses the effects of opioids. Together, they prevent withdrawal symptoms and deter the abuser from snorting or injecting it. Dr. Gupta pairs medication with counselling, and non-addictive medication in cases of insomnia or anxiety. Recovery takes anywhere from six weeks to six months depending on the severity of the addiction, but the struggle to remain clean continues for the rest of their lives.

 

With death rates from opioid misuse surging, more than 500 laws were enacted in the last 10 years against doctors, pill mills and pharmaceutical companies to curb the problem but this has only exacerbated the issue. Addicts are now forced to go to the streets instead of visiting a doctor for treatment. Dr. Gupta notes that national autopsy results over the last 5 years consistently show that fentanyl, heroin and cocaine are the first three drugs in more than 55% of the people with drug overdose deaths as opposed to prescription medication.

 

Over the past few years, Dr. Gupta has presented more than 150 talks to schools, doctors, healthcare systems and social organizations like Rotary clubs and the Kiwanis Club to highlight the gravity of the problem and his message that addiction can be cured. He is talking to elected officials to leverage their influence and galvanize the government to rethink the limit of patients and allow greater access to people who want to overcome their addiction. 

 

Addiction, he warns, has become synonymous with a death sentence in this country.

 

 

(Picture Courtesy: Times Herald)

College Campuses Are COVID-19 Super-spreaders

Taylor & FrancisEducation, Youth 0

Newswise — College campuses are at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders for their entire county, according to a new vast study which shows the striking danger of the first two weeks of school in particular.

Looking at 30 campuses across the nation with the highest amount of reported cases, experts saw that over half of the institutions had spikes – at their peak – which were well above 1,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people per week within the first two weeks of class.

In some colleges, one in five students had been infected with the virus by the end of the fall term. Four institutions had over 5,000 cases.

In 17 of the campuses monitored, a new computer model developed by scientists at Stanford University shows outbreaks translated directly into peaks of infection within their home counties.

Out today, the team’s research – published in the peer-reviewed journal Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering – crucially shows, however, that tight outbreak management, for example the immediate transition from in person to all online learning, can reduce the peaks within about two weeks.

Lead author Hannah Lu, from Stanford’s Energy Resources Engineering program, says the incidence levels of 1,000 cases per 100,000 people per week – when compared to the first and second waves of the pandemic with peak incidences of 70 to 150 – means colleges are at real risk of developing an extreme incidence of COVID-19.

“Policy makers often use an incidence of 50 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week as a threshold for high risk counties, states, or countries. All 30 institutions in our study exceeded this value, three even by two orders of that magnitude,” she states.

“The number of students who had become infected just throughout the fall is more than twice of the national average since the beginning of the outbreak of 5.3%, with 17.3 million reported cases at a population of 328.2 million.

“At the University of Notre Dame, for instance, all 12,607 students were tested before the beginning of class and only nine had tested positive. Less than two weeks into the term, the seven-day incidence was 3083, with a reproduction number R0 of 3.29.

“However,” she adds, “with around 90 reported deaths nationwide, mainly college employees and not students, the campus-related death rate of 0.02% remains well below the average death rate of COVID-19.”

Members of the research team used advanced modelling, which assesses the real-time epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak using an SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infectious, and recovered) model to map how the disease spread across the campuses.

They drew COVID-19 case reports from 30 publicly available college dashboards across the United States throughout the fall of 2020. These institutions were either teaching in person, online or a hybrid of both. They selected colleges for which case numbers are reported on a daily basis and the total cumulative case number exceeded 100. During this time window, the nationwide number of new cases had dropped below 50,000 per day.

A limitation of this study is that the true on-campus student population was often unreported and had to be approximated by the total fall quarter enrollment. “This likely underestimates of the real maximum incidence and the fraction of on-campus students that have been affected by the virus,” the authors state.

Senior author, Ellen Kuhl, adds: “Strikingly, these local campus outbreaks rapidly spread across the entire county and triggered a peak in new infections in neighbouring communities in more than half of the cases.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that these initial college outbreaks are unrelated to the national outbreak dynamics. Instead, they are independent local events driven by campus reopening and inviting students back to campus.

“Our results confirm the widespread fear in early fall that colleges could become the new hot spots of COVID-19 transmission. But, at the same time, college administrators should be applauded for their rapid responses to successfully manage local outbreaks.”

All reported campuses pursued regular surveillance testing, weekly or even twice per week, combined with aggressive test-trace-isolate strategies.

“The majority of colleges and universities were able to rapidly manage their outbreaks and suppress campus-wide infections, while the neighbouring communities were less successful in controlling the spread of the virus. As a result, for most institutions, the outbreak dynamics remained manageable throughout the entire fall of 2020 with narrow spikes of less than 300 cases per day,” Lu states.

The team believes that this methodology, in combination with continuing online learning, is the best way to prevent college sites from becoming the major hub of the disease.

“Our study suggests that tight test-trace-isolate strategies, flexible transition to online instruction, and-most importantly-compliance with local regulations will be critical to ensure a safe campus reopening after the winter break,” she added.

Professor Kuhl concludes: “We anticipate that the most important aspect upon campus reopening within the coming weeks will be the human factor. Unfortunately, the fall term has shown that the best of all strategies can become meaningless if people do not follow the recommendations.”

(Picture Curtesy: ABC News)

Applications To Medical School Up Big. Is It The “Fauci Effect”?

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“Now more than ever we need your talent, your energy, your resolve and your character.” Those were the words Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said last spring to new medical school graduates as part of the AMA’s “Tribute to the Medical School Class of 2020.”
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Get answers to all your biggest questions about getting into medical school, the application process, the MCAT and more. 
It appears another flock of potential physicians may have been listening, however. With medical school applications up nearly 20% from last year, some are attributing that bounce to the “Fauci effect,” in essence crediting the nation’s most famous and most visible physician with inspiring a new generation.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the number of students applying to enter medical school in 2021 is up 18% from this time last year. The bump is unprecedented, and the reasons behind it are not entirely clear.
“This large of an increase is unprecedented,” said Geoffrey Young, PhD, the AAMC’s senior director of student affairs and programs. ”We can’t say for sure why so many more students have applied this year. Some students may have had more time for applications and preparing for the MCAT exam after their college courses went online. Some may have been motivated by seeing heroic doctors on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
At Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU), one of 37 member schools of the AMA Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, the number of applications received to date—a 14% year-to -date increase—has surpassed the number received in the entire 2020 cycle, with two months before the application submission deadline.
“The fact that we as a society are dealing with this pandemic and people are seeing the challenges that our health care workforce are dealing with, and the pain and suffering of those who deal with COVID, it certainly could have fanned the flames for applicants who were thinking about a career in medicine,” said John D. Schriner, PhD, an associate dean for admissions and student affairs at OU. “They want to make a difference similar to what Dr. Fauci is saying.”
Other factors to which the spike could be attributed include an unfriendly economic climate for new graduates and more time to prepare applications.
“It is certainly encouraging to see an increase in applicants to medical school, and there are likely multiple drivers involved,” said Kimberly Lomis, MD, the AMA’s vice president for undergraduate medical education innovations. “The pandemic disrupted many students’ intended plans and has caused all to reconsider their educational and career options. Medicine needs people inclined to step up in times of crisis, and current medical students across the country demonstrated that ethos this year.”
At the November 2020 AMA Special Meeting, Dr. Fauci gave an exclusive interview to AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD. Read more about Dr. Fauci’s 2021 forecast on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments.
In interviews, Dr. Fauci has downplayed his impact on the application increase. Schriner isn’t so sure, however.
“There are a lot of great physicians who inspire students to go toward medicine and make a difference,” Schriner said. “Dr. Fauci is such an inspiring figure, a trusted figure. I think there may be something to it.”
While the factors contributing to the increase in applications are likely manyfold, the pandemic has caused an increase, Schriner says, in applicant altruism. And it has done so at a needed time— according to data published this year by the AAMC, the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care, by 2033.
“Folks are just seeing such suffering and such sacrifice on the part of the patients and their families, and also the sacrifice and suffering made by the health care delivery team,” Schriner said. “There’s an altruistic spirit that is reflected in the increase in applications.”
Medicine can be a career that is both challenging and highly rewarding but figuring out a medical school’s prerequisites and navigating the application process can be a challenge into itself. The AMA premed glossary guide has the answers to frequently asked questions about medical school, the application process, the MCAT and more.

Suyash Mehta Is NBA’s First Full-Time Indian-Origin Referee

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In an official announcement made by the The National Basketball Association (NBA) League of the US, Suyash Mehta was one of three referees, promoted to full-time NBA staff officials,
“We are pleased to welcome Simone [Jelks], Suyash and Andy [Nagy] to our full-time staff,” said Monty McCutchen, NBA Senior Vice President, Head of Referee Development and Training. “They have demonstrated through the growth and the quality of their performance, they warrant working NBA games on a regular basis.”
In the past, Mehta has officiated G League and Summer League games. Last season, he was named to the NBA’s officiating staff for the first time. He had refereed in 13 games and was one of six to be named under the title of ‘non-staff officials’.
Mehta, whose parents are from India, also has coaching experience at various collegiate levels including the Atlantic 10, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, NCAA Division III and junior college officiating experience.
Mehta officiated five seasons in the NBA G League. During the 2019 20 NBA season, he refereed 13 regular-season NBA games as a “non-staff official”.
Mehta — whose parents are from India and moved to the US in the 1980s — also has coaching experience at various collegiate levels including the Atlantic 10, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, NCAA Division III and junior college officiating experience.
Suyash Mehta also had coaching experience at collegiate level which includes various teams like Atlantic 10, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, NCAA Division III and junior colleges. Therefore, Mehta has always been positive about making it big in the sport, either by being a coach or as a match referee. 
“They have demonstrated through the growth and the quality of their performance, they warrant working NBA games on a regular basis,” McCutchen added. Jelks joins Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder as full-time female officials for the 2020-21 season.

Indian- American Nitya Kodali Crowned Miss Teen Telugu Universe

Staff ReporterFashion, Women, Youth 0

American-born teenager, Nitya Kodali has been crowned the world’s first Miss Teen Telugu Universe representing the USA.   Out of 700 semi-finalists, 22 finalists were selected to compete in the grand finals of the Telugu Universe pageant. Contestants from over 40 countries including India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand competed for the coveted title.

“To win one of the most prestigious titles in my first ever pageant is a huge honor and I am still in disbelief. The pageant has changed my life forever, and for that, I am always grateful. This victory is not just mine, but the amazing people in my life that have taught me everything I know today. This crown is dedicated to you all.” Kodali wrote on her Instagram page.

Nitya is a high school sophomore and valedictorian of her class. She is working towards a career in medicine and is the founder of the global nonprofit, Letters & Love. Nitya is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and on Houston’s Bollywood dance team.

The Telugu Universe pageant consisted of multiple rounds including introduction, ramp walk, talent, and question-and-answer. The global event had over 18,000 participants where Nitya was crowned by Miss Earth India, Tejaswini Manogna.

In the same category 1st runner up award was captured by Sathvika Movva and 2nd runner up award bagged by Sushmita Kolloju. 

Mothers affect how daughters act in close relationships

Staff ReporterHealth, Women, Youth 0

Newswise — Feminist mothers raise more feminist daughters who are able to stand up for themselves in their close relationships, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

The study revealed that a mother’s feminist attitudes have an impact on her daughter’s “voice” – or the ability to speak her mind in close relationships. And daughters with a stronger ability to speak their minds have better mental health too, according to the study.

Also called “self-silencing,” women who lack a strong “voice” tend to inhibit their own thoughts, feelings and emotions in order to avoid conflict and maintain their relationships. The authors argue that self-silencing is a socially learned behavior due to social expectations regarding traditional gender roles within relationships. This self-silencing can lead to negative mental health outcomes because it does not allow women to express their authenticity and needs in their relationships

For the purposes of the study, “feminist attitudes” were grounded in the assumption that there should be equality among the sexes and that women can stick up for themselves and should.  

“The idea of ‘voice’ isn’t new, but this is one of the first studies to examine how mothers and daughters are associated with each other’s ‘voice,’” said the study’s lead author, Analisa Arroyo, an associate professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “We found interesting results occurring at the relational level. Not only does having feminist attitudes discourage the act of self-silencing and therefore result in better mental health for both mothers and daughters, our results also found that feminist mothers were experiencing better mental health outcomes as a result of their daughters using their voice in their close relationships.”

The authors refer to daughters’ impact on their mothers as reciprocal socialization. “Reciprocal socialization means that not only do daughters learn from their mothers, but mothers can learn from their daughters just the same. A mother seeing her daughter use her voice and speak her mind can be inspiring and motivating to mothers,” said Arroyo.

Participants in the study included 169 mother-daughter dyads. Female students were recruited from communication classes at UGA and were asked to provide the names and email addresses for themselves and their mothers. Surveys were sent separately to mothers and daughters.

On average, the daughters were 19.7 years old and primarily Caucasian (78.1% compared to 9.5% Asian, 7.1% Black/African American, 2.4% Latinx, and 3.0% other responses). The mothers’ average age was 50.9 and they were also mostly Caucasian (79.9% compared to 8.9% Asian, 5.9% Black/African American, 1.2% Latinx, and 1.8% other responses).

Arroyo, who has a 4-year-old son and an infant daughter, plans to keep this research in mind as she raises her own daughter.

“I want my daughter to have the agency to share her unique thoughts and perspective with the world. When women self-silence, they aren’t being true to themselves. And when they do that in their close relationships, it has a negative impact on their psychological well-being,” Arroyo said. “I already see a lack of ‘voice’ when I interact with my 7-year-old niece. She is quick to say ‘Whatever you want. I don’t know.’ Now I have a label for that behavior. I have to ask her what do you want? Don’t be afraid to tell me — your voice is valid.’”

The full study is available online at

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03637751.2020.1758949

Study Finds Impact Of Screen Time To Mental Health In Girls

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Teenagers, especially girls, have better mental health when they spend less time in front of screens and more time taking part in extracurricular activities, like sports and art. A study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, found that spending less than two hours per day of recreational screen time associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and optimism, and lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, especially among girls.

Similarly, extracurricular participation was associated with better mental health outcomes. “The findings are especially relevant now when teens may be spending more time in front of screens in their free time if access to extracurricular activities, like sports and arts programs is restricted due to Covid-19,” said the study’s lead author Eva Oberle from University of British Columbia in Canada.

“Our findings highlight extracurricular activities as an asset for teens’ mental wellbeing,” Oberle added. Finding safe ways for children and teens to continue to participate in these activities during current times may be a way to reduce screen time and promote mental health and wellbeing.

Data for this study was drawn from a population-level survey involving 28,712 Grade 7 students from 365 schools in 27 school districts. The researchers examined recreational screen time such as playing video games, watching television, browsing the internet, as well as participating in outdoor extracurricular activities such as sport and art programs after school.

They then compared its association with positive and negative mental health indicators. The findings showed that adolescents who participated in extracurricular activities were significantly less likely to engage in recreational screen-based activities for two or more hours after school.

Taking part in extracurricular activities was associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and optimism, and lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Longer screen time (more than two hours a day) was associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and optimism, and higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, the study has found.

“Further research is needed to examine why the negative effects of screen time were more detrimental for girls than for boys. She also hopes to focus future research on the effects of different types of screen time,” the authors noted. (IANS)

Teen Anika Chebrolu’s Discovery Will Limit Spike Protein Of The SARS-Cov-2 Virus

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The coronavirus has killed more than 1.1 million people globally since China reported its first case to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019. The United States has more than 220,000 deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Anika, an Indian American Teenager, submitted her project when she was in 8th grade — but it wasn’t always going to be focused on finding a cure for Covid-19. Initially, her goal was to use in-silico methods to identify a lead compound that could bind to a protein of the influenza virus.

“After spending so much time researching about pandemics, viruses and drug discovery, it was crazy to think that I was actually living through something like this,” Anika said.  “Because of the immense severity of the Covid-19 pandemic and the drastic impact it had made on the world in such a short time, I, with the help of my mentor, changed directions to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”

3M, in partnership with Discovery Education, Oct. 14 announced that Indian American student Anika Chebrolu won the 2020 Young Scientist Challenge competition. The 13th annual contest called for students in grades 5-to-8 to submit a video demonstrating an innovation that could provide a solution to an everyday problem, according to a news release.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide and was declared a worldwide pandemic and public health emergency earlier this year. With the virus continuing to spread far and wide, there is an urgent need to find an effective anti-coronavirus drug.

In her study, Chebrolu discovered a molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2. Binding and inhibiting this viral protein would potentially stop the virus entry into the cell, creating a viable drug target. In her research, Chebrolu screened millions of small molecules for drug-likeness properties, ADMET properties, and binding affinities against the spike protein using numerous software tools.

The one molecule with the best pharmacological and biological activity towards the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was chosen as the lead molecule that could be a potential drug for the effective treatment of COVID-19, the release notes. For the first time in the history of the competition, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge showcased the top 10 finalist projects and announced this year’s winner in a virtual event, held Oct. 12-13.

Anika Chebrolu’s award winning invention uses in-silico methodology to discover a lead molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “The last two days, I saw that there is a lot of media hype about my project since it involves the SARS-CoV-2 virus and it reflects our collective hopes to end this pandemic as I, like everyone else, wish that we go back to our normal lives soon,” Anika told CNN.

When it comes to iconic sneakers, heck, when it comes to the entire history of footwear, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more beloved or influential shoe than the Superstar. Anika said she was inspired to find potential cures to viruses after learning about the 1918 flu pandemic and finding out how many people die every year in the United States despite annual vaccinations and anti-influenza drugs on the market.

“Anika has an inquisitive mind and used her curiosity to ask questions about a vaccine for Covid-19,” Dr. Cindy Moss, a judge for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, told CNN. “Her work was comprehensive and examined numerous databases. She also developed an understanding of the innovation process and is a masterful communicator. Her willingness to use her time and talent to help make the world a better place gives us all hope.”

Anika, who performs Bharatanatyam, an ancient Indian dance, said winning the prize and title of top young scientist is an honor, but her work isn’t done. Her next goal, she says, is to work alongside scientists and researchers who are fighting to “control the morbidity and mortality” of the pandemic by developing her findings into an actual cure for the virus.

“My effort to find a lead compound to bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus this summer may appear to be a drop in the ocean, but still adds to all these efforts,” she said. “How I develop this molecule further with the help of virologists and drug development specialists will determine the success of these efforts.”

An eighth-grader at Nelson Middle School, Chebrolu at the time of entry, competed against nine other finalists in an interactive virtual competition. Each finalist was evaluated on a series of challenges and the presentation of their completed innovation. These young inventors – aged 12-14 – won the top ten spots in this year’s challenge through their innovative thinking, scientific acumen, and display of exceptional communication skills, the release added.

“Amidst the challenges of a global pandemic, quality STEM education for all has become an even more urgent need, and 3M’s commitment to fostering the next generation of science leaders has never been more determined,” said Denise Rutherford, senior vice president of Corporate Affairs at 3M.

“In spite of challenges, like adjusting to new norms of distance learning and participating in virtual events, this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge finalists have smashed through barriers with grit, creativity, innovative thinking, and excitement – all in the name of applying science to improve lives. 3M is inspired by these young innovators and we celebrate each one of them. Our heartfelt congratulations go to this year’s winner, Anika Chebrolu, and our many thanks to all our 3M Young Scientist Challenge finalists,” Rutherford added.

Over the past few months, each 3M Young Scientist Challenge finalist worked with a 3M scientist who played the role of mentor and worked one-on-one with each finalist to transform their idea from concept to physical prototype. Chebrolu was paired with Dr. Mahfuza Ali, a 3M corporate scientist in the materials resource division and a recent Carlton Society inductee.

As part of the program, challenge finalists received a variety of prizes from 3M and Discovery Education. The grand prize winner received a $25,000 cash prize, the prestigious title of “America’s Top Young Scientist,” and a special destination trip. The second and third place winners each received a $1,000 prize and a special destination trip.

In third place, Laasya Acharya, a seventh-grader at Mason Middle School in Mason City School District from Mason, Ohio. The Indian American student utilized a neural network to detect crop diseases through image analysis. The fourth through tenth place winners each receive a $1,000 prize and a $500 excitations gift card.

Among them were Ekansh Mittal from Beaverton, Ore., an eighth-grader at Meadow Park Middle School in the Beaverton School District; Harsha Pillarisetti from San Ramon, Calif., an eighth-grader at Windemere Ranch Middle School in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District; Samhita Pokkunuri from Old Bridge, N.J., a seventh-grader at Carl Sandburg Middle School in the Old Bridge Township Public School District; and Samvrit Rao from Ashburn, Va., a seventh-grader at Stone Hill Middle School in the Loudoun County Public School District.

“Because of the immense severity of the Covid-19 pandemic and the drastic impact it had made on the world in such a short time, I, with the help of my mentor, changed directions to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus.” The teen said she was inspired to find potential cures to viruses after learning about the 1918 flu pandemic and finding out how many people die every year in the United States despite annual vaccinations and anti-influenza drugs on the market. Anika said winning the prize and title of Top Young Scientist is an honor, but her work isn’t done.

30th Anniversary Of World Summit For Children – Today Children Need A New Initiative

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On the eve of the UN’s 75th anniversary, Antonio Guterres, the UN’s Secretary-General has declared that the coronavirus pandemic is the world’s top security threat. He has called for action – for greater international co-operation in controlling outbreaks and developing an affordable vaccine, available to all. Such action is needed and possible -even in the absence of a large gathering of world leaders in New York to celebrate the anniversary.  But children today in every country need more.

Thirty years ago, on 29/30 September 1990, the largest gathering of world leaders that had ever taken place, met at UN Headquarters under the auspices of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. This was The World Summit for Children. It was an enormous success, gathering headlines around the world-and leading to worldwide action for children.

The Summit set goals for improving the situation of children everywhere, in health, education and their needs in especially difficult circumstances. Every country in the world adopted and agreed to these goals and, since then, all but the United States has– ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The World Summit for Children was the brainchild of the American James P. Grant, the charismatic head of UNICEF. After initial doubts about whether more than a handful of presidents or prime ministers would come for a high -level meeting on children – as opposed to one on trade or the economy – The World Summit for Children took place with 71 heads of State, including President Bush and Prime Minister Thatcher.

Though children are much less likely to suffer direct effects from the virus, the indirect effects are already serious -in disrupted education, in neglect of essential medical care, in disturbed relations with family, relatives and friends

Such was the success of the event that the idea of holding Summit meetings soon caught on – the Earth Summit in 1992, the World Summit for Social Development in 1995, the Millennium Summit in 2000, and the Summit for Sustain able Development in 2015.  agreed at the Summit for children.

More importantly, following the goals, child survival has improved dramatically: the number of children dying under five has been reduced by 60%, from 12 million in 1990 to well under 6 million today. Immunization, growth monitoring and other actions have improved the health and life expectancy of millions of children in the developing world, and all countries have accepted that “the best interests of a child shall be a primary consideration.”

Today when children are under serious threat from Covid-19, the 30th anniversary of the Children’s Summit is a highly appropriate time for countries to renew and update the vows they made then.

Though children are much less likely to suffer direct effects from the virus, the indirect effects are already serious -in disrupted education, in neglect of essential medical care, in disturbed relations with family, relatives and friends. Many are also suffering the consequences of domestic violence and child abuse. Countries are turning away from collective national and international action just when it is needed most.

Today’s COVID crisis could be an opportunity -for a new impetus to invest in our children and in the next generation of doctors, nurses, scientists, statisticians and carers, who will need to be well prepared to deal with future crises and emergencies.

Though a collective meeting is not possible, every country needs to consider and plan for its children, both to recover from the immediate effects of the virus and to set new paths for the next five and ten years.

Prime ministers and heads of state should take the lead, citizen’s assemblies should add to the specifics and communities and governments should make the commitments. A World Summit is not possible nor necessary, -but every country needs to consider the new priorities for its children and make serious plans and policies to respond to them.

 (by Richard Jolly. He is a Honorary Professor at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. From 1982-95 he was Deputy-Executive Director of UNICEF when Jim Grant was Executive Director. Among the books he has written are “UNICEF- Global Governance that works” and “UN Ideas that Changed the World”, which he co-wrote with Tom Weiss and Louis Emmerij.)

Kailash Satyarthi Warns over a Million Children Could Die Because of COVID-19 Economic Crisis

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IPS senior correspondent Stella Paul interviews Nobel Laureate KAILASH SATYARTHI on the eve of Fair Share for Children Summit, a global virtual conference in which Nobel Laureates and world leaders are calling for the world’s most marginalized children to be protected against the impacts of COVID-19.Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi said that without prioritising children we could lose an entire generation as evidence mounts that the number of child labourers, child marriages, school dropouts and child slaves has increased as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe. Courtesy: Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation HYDERABAD, India, Sep 8 2020 (IPS) – Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi warns of the danger that over one million children could die, not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of the economic crisis facing their families.

In an exclusive interview with IPS, Satyarthi said that without prioritising children we could lose an entire generation as evidence mounts that the number of child labourers, child marriages, school dropouts and child slaves has increased as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe.

He candidly noted that the most marginalised and vulnerable children in the world are still not prioritised by governments and policies and that the political will and urgency of action was simply not there to offer them protection.

Satyarthi is undoubtedly one of the greatest child rights’ crusaders of our time. Founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement) – India’s largest movement for the protection of children and centred around ending bonded and labour and human trafficking, Satyarthi has been relentlessly working to protect the rights of children for over four decades. Save Childhood Movement has rescued almost 100,000 children from servitude and bonded labour, re-integrating them into society and aiding them in resuming their education.

IPS interviews Satyarthi on the eve of Fair Share for Children Summit, a global virtual conference, hosted by Laureates and Leaders for Children – also founded by Satyarthi. The summit, which takes place from Sept. 9-10, brings together Nobel laureates, including the Dalai Lama, Tawakkol Karman, Professor Jody Williams and leading international figures and heads of United Nations agencies to demand a fair share for the world’s most marginalised children during and beyond COVID-19.

The pandemic has gravely endangered millions of children around the globe, and it is not just a moral obligation but also a practical step to protect these children, Satyarthi says.He also elaborates what could be a fair share of the global pandemic recovery package for the children and how this could be managed. Excerpts follow:

IPS: Where does the world stand today in ensuring child rights? Which are the areas where we have clear progress, and where are we still failing?Kailash Satyarthi (KS): I would be very blunt to say that the most marginalised and vulnerable children in the world are still not prioritised in the policies and fund allocations and spending on them. Protection of children needs a lot of political will and a lot of urgency and action which was not there. But I would agree that we have been making progress, slowly but surely, we are trying to protect our children in different areas. There is clear evidence that the number of child labourers has decreased over the last 20 years or so, the number of out-of-school children has also dropped considerably. Similarly, we made progress in the field of malnutrition. So, there were many areas we made progress. But as I said before, we require a tremendous amount of political will and action to protect our children.

IPS: How has the COVID pandemic endangered lives of children across the world?KS: Well, before the pandemic, we had several problems in relation to safety, education, health and freedom of children. And since these children belong to the most marginalised sector of society – they are children of unorganised workers, peasants, farmers, they are children of indigenous peoples and children belonging to refugee communities. So, they were already suffering, injustice was there, inequality was there, but COVID-19 has exacerbated that inequality and injustice, and we see the worst effect is on children.

Though there is no direct infection or disease, the indirect effect is alarming, and that has to be addressed now. It is very clear that if we do not take urgent action now, then we risk losing the entire generation. It is evident and eminent from all sources that the number of child labourers, the number of child marriages, school dropouts, the number of child slaves, even children engaged in petty crimes – these will increase.So, we have to underline these factors which are impacting the lives of children and their families, of course. And we have to be extremely vigilant and active about it. So, that sense of moral responsibility and political responsibility should be generated and educated.

I also think that this crisis is the crisis of civilisations. We were thinking that since everybody is facing the same problem, the pandemic would be an equaliser. But instead of being an equaliser, it has become a divider. Divisive forces are quite active in society, and equality and injustice are growing in the children. So, first of all, as an individual and a concerned citizen, one should generate compassion.

Two Tamil refugee children play in Mannar in northern Sri Lanka. The COVID-19 pandemic has gravely endangered millions of children around the globe. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

IPS: The government stimulus package is expected to provide employment and help in economic recovery. Is it feasible to use this specifically for child development and child protection?KS: It is not only feasible, it is necessary. We cannot protect humanity and ethos of equality and justice until and unless we address the problems of the most marginalised children and people of the world.

I am quite supportive of the government stimulus package, which is $9 trillion so far. I will give you an example – the stimulus is prioritised to bail out their own companies. Most of the developed countries are putting up stimulus to bail out their own economy, their banks, financial institutions and companies. In the United States, some companies have all-time high stock market situations.

On the other hand, we have a danger that over a million children will die – not because of COVID-19 pandemic, but because of the economic crisis, their parents are facing. So, this is injustice. How can you justify this? You need a stimulation package to bailout [the] economy, but you need a stimulation package to ensure that our children are protected. So, this is not just a moral question but also a very practical issue.This is why in May earlier this year, I joined 88 Nobel Laureates and global leaders to sign a joint statement demanding that 20 percent of the COVID-19 response be allocated to the most marginalised children and their families. This is the minimum fair share for children.

IPS:  The theme of the summit is #FairShare4Children. What would be considered a fair share of the estimated $9 trillion set aside globally to mitigate the effects of the pandemic? Where are the most critical areas? And how should it be managed?KS: Even if you only look at the $5 trillion packages announced in the first few weeks of the pandemic, 20 precent of that is $1 trillion – enough funding to fund all the COVID-19 U.N. appeals, cancel two years of debt for low-income countries, provide the external funding required for two years of the Sustainable Development Goals on Education and Water and Sanitation and a full ten years of the external funding for the health-related SDGs.

Within the estimated $9 trillion of governments’ aid, this would mean $1 trillion (for children). This funding would mitigate the increase child hunger and food insecurity, tackle the increase in child labour and slavery, the denial of education and the heightened vulnerability of children on the move such as child refugees and displaced children. These are the areas of immediate criticality. 

Some key demands to this end include – for one, the declaration of COVID vaccines as a global common good so that it is made available for free for the most marginalised communities. Secondly, the creation of a Global Social Protection Fund to provide a financial safety net to the poorest communities in lower and lower-middle income countries. Thirdly, all governments should cancel the debt of poor countries to allow them to redirect funds towards social protection. Lastly, governments should establish legislation to ensure due diligence and transparency for business and ensure its strict compliance to prevent the engagement of child labour and slavery in the global supply chains.

If we can prevent the devastating impact of COVID-19 on these areas in the present, if we can reduce the inequality in the world’s COVID-19 response, if we ensure the most vulnerable receive their Fair Share to we can then be in a position to salvage the future of our children. 

Drive East 2020: Sanctuary Indian Dance and Music Festival August 9 – 16, 2020

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Celebrating eight highly acclaimed New York seasons, Drive East’s ninth season will live stream to your living room in its first ever, fully virtual, global experience from August 9-16, 2020. From bharatanatyam to hindustani ghazals, kuchipudi to kathakali, and veena to sarod, there is something for everyone in this one-of-a-kind experience of Indian classical arts. Featuring seasoned artists alongside undiscovered gems from New York City, San Francisco, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Assam and Kolkata, this year, Drive East offers the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the unification of music and dance styles across cultures right from your home in this virtual, week-long movement.

“This year, Drive East pays a special homage to the importance of art & storytelling traditions: a universal sanctuary for expression and human connection. We wanted to draw connections from those traditions to what is going on in our world today.” says Co-Director, Sridhar Shanmugam. “With the world changing in drastic ways, Drive East 2020 is also about the importance of having access to these timeless art forms now, more than ever. The artists we have curated from around the world are grappling with what sanctuary means, both artistically and politically,” says Navatman Co-Director Sahasra Sambamoorthi.
“We want to examine just how the Indian classical arts can play a role in giving voice and safe spaces for expression during times of crisis,” adds Sambamoorthi.“ “This is also the first year we will be broadcasting the concerts in 4K UHD, giving patrons a completely different experience than some of the live streams happening now” continues Shanmugam. “Viewers will be able to tune in from all over the world, meet their favorite artists, engage with new exclusive content, and access a live theater experience through multiple angles and surround sound. We are calling back the temporal experience of art – these streams will not be accessible outside the scheduled concert times.”
Some of the highlights include Delhi-based Rama Vaidyanathan premiering “Back to the Stage” with collaborator and daughter Dakshina Vaidyanathan; their past duets have been described by the New York Times as “two sides of a coin.” Los Angeles-based Aditya Prakash (carnatic vocalist who has toured worldwide with Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Karsh Kale, and Akram Khan) looks at what it means to foreign in the universal language of music. New York-based Hidayat Khan (a 7th generation sitar player hailing from a prestigious lineage of artists) presents an emotional exploration of what sitar can evoke. New Jersey-based Ramya Ramnarayan (with facial expressions that “rivets our attention” according to the New York Times) creates new bharatanatyam work on the bias of colorism in South Asian communities.
San Francisco-based Ganesh Vasudeva and Dancers perform a bharatanatyam interpretation of the famed Yann Martel novel, Life of Pi. Mesma Belsare (described by the New York Times as “a tour de force…a true act of transcendence…”) performs “What is Justice?” by choreographer Maya Kulkarni in response to the political upheaval going on right now. Chennai-based Ashwath Narayanan (named “Outstanding Vocalist” in the prestigious Music Academy in 2017, Chennai, and tours worldwide) examines caste privilege within classical music and curates a list of composers from different religious backgrounds.
A number of rare arts are featured at Drive East this year, including Anwesa Mahanta (awarded the Yuva Puruskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2014) presenting sattriya dance from the state of Assam, rarely seen in NYC or SF, Los Angeles-based Vijayalakshmi presenting mohiniyattam dance from the state of Kerala, with only a few California-based practitioners, and the sarangi by Delhi-based Kamal Sabri. The week also includes the performance of rarely-heard carnatic saxophone by Oakland-based Prasant Radhakrishnan.
Additional artists and performers for Drive East are: violin-duet by VV Subrahmanyam & VVS Murari (Chennai), live music and bharatanatyam dance by Navatman Dance Company (New York), a carnatic choir performance by Navatman Music Collective (New York), a hindustani vocal concert by Sandip Battacharjee (Kolkata), and a kathak concert by Jayeeta Dutta (Bangalore). Talk back sessions are interspersed throughout the week, highlighting the growth of Indian arts over the decades – particularly of note is the talk back session where artists and others in the field will discuss the the way politics shape or influence their art, in depth interviews with a number of artists, and talk of how the worldwide lockdown has changed the way they practice and perform their work.
Drive East is produced through Navatman, Inc. and supported in part by the Dance/NYC Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund. Drive East is also made possible by local partnerships with Nava Dance Theatre (San Francisco), Eyakkam Dance Company (Dallas), and a collaboration with technology company, APEtech. ABOUT NAVATMAN, INC. Navatman, Inc., led by Co- Artistic Directors Sridhar Shanmugam and Sahasra Sambamoorthi, is a performing arts organization that empowers the individual to nurture his or her personal evolution through interactions with the Indian classical arts. Founded with an eye towards creating a home for the Indian classical performing arts in NYC, Navatman is best known for our Manhattan based and now online classes, critically acclaimed productions, dynamic dance company, stellar music ensemble, and Drive East – a week long collaborative festival celebrating our mission.
Co-Director Sridhar Shanmugam received training at the Kalakshetra School of Dance — one of the most prestigious schools of dance in India — and his later training in Rangoli painting, modern and post-modern dance, acting, choreography, stage lighting, theatre and stage technique. For many years he toured internationally as the legendary dancer choreographer Chandralekha’s primary male artist and later worked with such famous artists as Pina Bausch, Suzanna Linke, Philip Glass and countless others, earning awards and accolades from the governments of India, Great Britain and Italy. He has taught extensively and conducted workshops at several leading institutions including Columbia University, New York University and the Brooklyn Museum of Arts. He maintains relationships with many of the top arts foundations such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center by serving on their boards and panels.
As choreographer, teacher, dancer and director, Co-Director Sahasra Sambamoorthi’s experience being born and raised in the diaspora only serves to widen her ability to connect with both Indian and non-Indian audiences. She has earned accolades and scholarships from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship, and is seen by many as a trailblazer forging a new understanding of South Asian arts in the United States.

Neelam Shah, Naggena Ohri named 2020 National Students of the Year

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Neelam Shah of Mechanicsville, Maryland and Naggena Ohri of Leonardtown, Maryland have been named the 2020 National Students of the Year by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Together their team, Fly4aCure, raised over $450,000 in seven weeks for LLS, according to a press release. Shah and Ohri campaigned for their cause and hosted Rhythm 2020, a multicultural showcase in their local community of St. Mary’s County. The girls had 180 performers and drew over 700 people in their music and dance program held on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to cure blood cancers and also improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer; LLS has invested more than a $1 billion in research aimed at helping these patients live longer healthier lives. Since 1960 there has been an 87% increase in survival rates of childhood leukemia. The organization’s work not only benefits those with blood cancers; 40% of new cancer therapies approved from 2010-2015 were first approved for blood cancer pts. Now these new therapies are being used to treat breast, kidney, liver, lung cancers, as well as arthritis and diabetes. Shah and Ohri participated in the Students of the Year program (SOY), a campaign run by LLS as team members in 2018.  Team Fly4acure discovered this program online when researching LLS and the impact it has in the lives of families affected by blood cancer. “We were amazed to see that there was something specifically targeted towards high school students to make a difference,” said Shah. This campaign takes highly motivated high school students who are interested in leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropy and allows them to make a difference in the lives of those affected by blood cancers. It’s a 7-week campaign where teams from all over the country compete to raise the most funds for LLS, and whoever raises the most money regionally and nationally is announced the winner. The Students of the Year Program in 2018 mobilized over 600 high school students to raise awareness of blood cancers. In total, these young men and women raised over 13 million dollars for blood cancer research.  This year, Maryland SOY 2020 alone raised over $900,000 and National SOY raised $30,000,000. Rhythm 2020 was a multicultural showcase of acts from all around the world performed by local high school students. Shah and Ohri, as dancers themselves, performed a semi-classical Indian dance as the final production. In addition to Rhythm, Shah and Ohri had the opportunity to perform their dance and speak about their campaign to raise awareness at the AAPI Governing Body Meeting in Long Island and the Greater Washington AAPI Heart Gala, both in February. The duo were helped by their Presenting Sponsor, AAPI, which with the generosity of its members were able to donate $100,000 to the campaign. AAPI was honored at the Maryland LLS Gala on March 7, 2020 in Baltimore. Dr. Suresh Reddy, Dr. Gautam Sammadar, Dr. Naresh Parikh, and Dr. Raj Bhayani were relentless in their support of Team Fly4aCure and LLS. Two years ago, Shah brother, Samir, and cousin Saar similarly won the title of National Students of the Year for LLS in 2018. They had raised $413,000 with the help of AAPI. They created Team Fly4acure, and Neelam and Naggena were able to continue their legacy of philanthropy, the release said. Shah’s connection to LLS is a personal one, as her father, Dr. Amish Shah, was diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal B Cell Lymphoma when she was 10. Now in remission, the entire family is grateful for the support and research breakthroughs that led to his recovery. Both Samir and Neelam have grown up with AAPI. Their grandfather, Dr. Vinod K. Shah, served as AAPI President in 2009-2010 and is very active in the group. Their grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunts are all AAPI members, as well. Shah, currently a junior in high school, plans to follow in the footsteps of her grandparents, parents and brother in pursuing a career in medicine. She will be a third generation AAPI member. She is grateful for the opportunity that LLS has provided and blown away by the generosity of her Indian and AAPI family.

21-year-old Meera Mehta, volunteer with Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care honoured with The Diana Award from UK

Staff ReporterCommunity, Education, India, Women, Youth 0

21-year-old young COVID-19 warrior from India, Meera Mehta, volunteering with the global non-profit Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, has been recognised with The Diana Award – the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Established in memory of Princess Diana of Wales, the Award is given out by The Diana Award charity and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.

Inspired by the vision and guidance of her spiritual mentor Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera was nurtured with a desire to serve selflessly since a young age. For the benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, she has been dedicatedly raising funds to uplift the underprivileged sections since the past 10 years.

“Make compassion your nature, not hobby, habit or mood.” – Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai

Since a tender age of six, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai inspired Meera to volunteer for various projects undertaken by Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, for the remote communities of South Gujarat, India.  Talking about how through this holistic experience, deep virtues of empathy and compassion were sown within her, Meera shares, “I will always remember the day at the first tribal camp I visited. When I gave a tribal child a gift, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai encouraged me to say thank you to that child and told me that it is a privilege to be able to serve the less fortunate.” Thus, implementing this teaching, she began raising enormous funds for many benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care including the health and education projects, including tertiary healthcare for a rural charity hospital, a Science college for the tribal students, primary and secondary education for indigenous communities, an ICU unit for new-born, and a skill development program for rural women.

“What Pujya Gurudevshri taught me changed my entire perspective towards fundraising. While I continue to actively raise funds, I am also studying hard to become a doctor,

and help tribal children in more ways than one.” – Meera Mehta 

As a true changemaker, she has inspired and inducted numerous youngsters to volunteer and raise funds effectively. In fact, Meera was also selected as an ‘Inspirational Change Agent’ at the Mumbai Marathon 2019, alongside the eminent boxer Mary Kom, for her impactful fundraising endeavors. Across her 10-year journey, she has raised over Rs. 1.5 crore, garnering massive support from corporates, celebrities and organisations.  In addition to several awards and accolades won for fundraising, Meera was also presented the ‘Youth Leader 2015’ award by The Global Education & Leadership Foundation, India for her unique social impact project ‘Poster to Shelter’.

Meera continues to work for the greater good through several endeavours of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care across 5 continents focused on the welfare of mankind, animals, and the environment. Even amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to display an extraordinary passion to serve by actively contributing to Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s 360-degree COVID-19 Relief Initiatives. These relief activities provide essential resources to front liners, healthcare professionals, daily wagers, and stray animals. Owing to its Mission Statement “Realise one’s True Self and Serve Others Selflessly”, 2500 volunteers are selflessly working in over 50 cities across the world, distinctly catering to each community’s personal needs amidst this crisis.

Having raised over Rs. 33 lakhs to support vulnerable communities during the pandemic, Meera has been instrumental in sponsoring 2 buses for migrant workers to return to their hometown in Bihar, providing over lakhs of meals for daily wagers and support to thousands frontline workers with PPE Kits, masks etc. For Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s recent initiative for proving migrants’ workers leaving in Mumbai for their hometown with nutritious meal for their journey, encouraged Meera to prepare handmade meals too.  Meera aims to raise Rs. 50 lakhs to support Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s extensive Covid relief work, that committedly provides safety and sufficiency to lakhs across the globe.

“We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens.” -Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award.

 With inspiration from her mentor Pujya Guru

21-year-old young COVID-19 warrior from India, Meera Mehta, volunteering with the global non-profit Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, has been recognised with The Diana Award – the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Established in memory of Princess Diana of Wales, the Award is given out by The Diana Award charity and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.

Inspired by the vision and guidance of her spiritual mentor Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera was nurtured with a desire to serve selflessly since a young age. For the benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, she has been dedicatedly raising funds to uplift the underprivileged sections since the past 10 years.

“Make compassion your nature, not hobby, habit or mood.” – Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai

Since a tender age of six, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai inspired Meera to volunteer for various projects undertaken by Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, for the remote communities of South Gujarat, India.  Talking about how through this holistic experience, deep virtues of empathy and compassion were sown within her, Meera shares, “I will always remember the day at the first tribal camp I visited. When I gave a tribal child a gift, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai encouraged me to say thank you to that child and told me that it is a privilege to be able to serve the less fortunate.” Thus, implementing this teaching, she began raising enormous funds for many benevolent initiatives of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care including the health and education projects, including tertiary healthcare for a rural charity hospital, a Science college for the tribal students, primary and secondary education for indigenous communities, an ICU unit for new-born, and a skill development program for rural women.

“What Pujya Gurudevshri taught me changed my entire perspective towards fundraising. While I continue to actively raise funds, I am also studying hard to become a doctor,

and help tribal children in more ways than one.” – Meera Mehta 

As a true changemaker, she has inspired and inducted numerous youngsters to volunteer and raise funds effectively. In fact, Meera was also selected as an ‘Inspirational Change Agent’ at the Mumbai Marathon 2019, alongside the eminent boxer Mary Kom, for her impactful fundraising endeavors. Across her 10-year journey, she has raised over Rs. 1.5 crore, garnering massive support from corporates, celebrities and organisations.  In addition to several awards and accolades won for fundraising, Meera was also presented the ‘Youth Leader 2015’ award by The Global Education & Leadership Foundation, India for her unique social impact project ‘Poster to Shelter’.

Meera continues to work for the greater good through several endeavours of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care across 5 continents focused on the welfare of mankind, animals, and the environment. Even amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to display an extraordinary passion to serve by actively contributing to Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s 360-degree COVID-19 Relief Initiatives. These relief activities provide essential resources to front liners, healthcare professionals, daily wagers, and stray animals. Owing to its Mission Statement “Realise one’s True Self and Serve Others Selflessly”, 2500 volunteers are selflessly working in over 50 cities across the world, distinctly catering to each community’s personal needs amidst this crisis.

Having raised over Rs. 33 lakhs to support vulnerable communities during the pandemic, Meera has been instrumental in sponsoring 2 buses for migrant workers to return to their hometown in Bihar, providing over lakhs of meals for daily wagers and support to thousands frontline workers with PPE Kits, masks etc. For Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s recent initiative for proving migrants’ workers leaving in Mumbai for their hometown with nutritious meal for their journey, encouraged Meera to prepare handmade meals too.  Meera aims to raise Rs. 50 lakhs to support Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care’s extensive Covid relief work, that committedly provides safety and sufficiency to lakhs across the globe.

“We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens.” -Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award. 

With inspiration from her mentor Pujya Gurudevshri, coupled with the passion of volunteers at Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera Mehta strives to take mighty strides in creating hope and happiness in the lives of thousands.

devshri, coupled with the passion of volunteers at Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, Meera Mehta strives to take mighty strides in creating hope and happiness in the lives of thousands.

Young Indian American Geniuses Honored With ‘2020 Global Child Prodigy Awards’

Staff ReporterCommunity, Education, Youth 0
(Adapted from GOPIO-International News)
After a rigorous process, two exceptionally gifted Indian American children and one Indo-Canadian kid were handpicked from 15,000-plus nominees across 45 countries for the 2020 Global Child Prodigy Award.
Tiara Abraham of Sacramento, Calif.; Akash Vukoti of San Angelo, Texas; and Advait Kolarkar of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, were honored alongside 97 other talented kids on Jan. 3 at a gala event in New Delhi, which was attended by several senior parliamentarians, music stalwarts and luminaries from the political and economic world.
Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi was the chief guest at the event where Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi handed out the awards to 100 child prodigies from 18 countries.
The Global Child Prodigy Awards event is a platform to celebrate a child’s talent and power in different categories such as dancing, music, arts, writing, acting, modeling, science, innovation, sports, etc.
Only three percent of the child prodigies can take their talent to the next level and become successful in their domain, so Global Child Prodigy Awards strives to recognize those talents, support them and provide them the global exposure to help them excel in their respective fields.
Soprano prodigy Tiara Abraham, 13, was honored in the ‘singing’ category. Having won numerous national and international solo singing competitions, Abraham, who was recently also honored by the Vatican, released her debut CD when she was 10. The album has nine songs in six different languages.
In April 2019, she wowed a crowd of more than 25,000 when she sang the national anthem at a San Francisco Giants game. The young singer, who has been a college student since she was seven years old, and has completed 42 college semesters in foreign languages, music and dance, had earlier told India-West that when she was six, she started to sing “simple songs” like “Happy Birthday” or the American national anthem in a vibrato style.
Spelling prodigy Akash Vukoti was felicitated for his prowess in the ‘languages’ categories. In 2016, then six, Vukoti became the youngest competitor in the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. He competed in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the competition as well.
According to his website, he can read and write three languages – English, Hindi and Telugu. He started reading and writing at a very early age and competed in his first spelling bee when he was just 2 years old. He became a member of Mensa at three and a Davidson Young Scholar at the age of 5 years.
In 2018, the ‘spellebrity’ became the youngest celebrity competitor on “Dancing with the Stars: Junior.” Vukoti has been featured on several shows such as “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Steve Harvey Show” and “Fox and Friends.” He has also appeared in many documentaries, including “Breaking the Bee.”
In the ‘arts’ category, five-year-old artistic prodigy Kolarkar, said a press release, has left the world stunned with his art. His abstract paintings have been displayed at exhibitions in Canada, the U.S. and India. In 2018, he became the youngest artist to exhibit at the ArtExpo fair in New York.
His fascination with art, according to his website, began when he was merely three months old. “He would keenly gaze at black objects—wardrobes and curtains — an observation that soon turned into demand,” his website says. Consequently, he took a fascination to art and would spend hours with his sister as she drew on paper.
Originally from Pune, Maharashtra, he now lives in Canada with his parents, software engineer Amit Kolarkar and commercial artist Shruti Kolarkar, and his elder sister Swara. Kolarkar, who began painting when he was eight, said the awards press release, has the talent that “far surpasses the professionals in his domain.
The awardees, who will get to meet eminent leaders, will also be part of other significant international events as speakers or influencers. The “100 Global Child Prodigies Award 2020” book, featuring its awardees, will be distributed to all the “top libraries” of the world. The award is supported by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation, and Oscar-winning music director A.R. Rahman, among others.

The Most Important Skill for 21st-Century Students is the Discipline to Say “No”

Staff ReporterYouth 0

Unlimited information may seem beneficial, but it requires a sense of focus and judgement that many young people simply don’t have.

Can you code? Speak a second language? How high is your IQ?  There’s much debate on what students need most to succeed in an increasingly competitive world. The challenges of automation, globalization, and political upheaval leave out the fact that we’re living an age of information overload.
According to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, the one thing that children will need to learn is “intellectual discipline.” The ability to recall facts (we have Google) and parrot popular arguments (the canon is dead) has become obsolete. Students need to wade through the noise, discern the facts, analyze perspectives, and develop their own expertise.
In a panel on “Education in the Post-Truth World” at WISE 2017’s summit for education, Zakaria contrasts how the barrage of media effect how young people take in and process information.
I say this to my kids all of the time, ‘you can graze all these headlines and tweets and blog posts you like—at the end of the day the way you develop real knowledge about a subject still remains that you have to go deep; still remains that you have to actually read books; still remains that you have to talk to experts, travel to countries.
All you do is put yourself at a competitive disadvantage if you don’t handle these things. I think this is one of the great challenges we face.
I don’t mean this to suggest it’s putting down young people. I grew up in India with no television. TV came to India in about 1975, I was 10 years old—One channel, black and white, they would show channels about Indian agriculture that nobody watched. There was one Bollywood movie on Sunday nights.
I read voraciously because that’s what you could do.  If I had a supercomputer in my pocket called an iPhone that could stream all the entertainment in the world all the TV shows, I don’t think I would’ve read that much but I don’t think I would’ve had the career that I have. I don’t know where that takes you.
Children are going to have to learn something that I didn’t have to learn as much which is discipline, intellectual discipline—the ability to say no. There was no choice if I went to a store.
The world my children are growing up in is exactly the opposite an explosion of choice, an explosion of options, an explosion of opportunity.
This ability to focus isn’t simply about using fewer apps or reducing the number of screens kids access at once but applying rigor to the source of the information they take in. In other words, students need to return to the fundamentals of education where you question the information and the source, which allows you to gain a greater understanding.
The majority of teens are accessing news from networks like Twitter and Snapchat where reports from individuals are unverified. A large Stanford study (pdf) from 2016 found an overwhelming majority of young people, from middle school to high school to the undergraduate level could not: tell the difference between news and sponsored content, source evidence, or evaluate claims on social media.
The report concludes: “Overall, young people’s ability to reason about the information on the Internet can be summed up in one word: bleak.”
Our primary sources of information come from the internet and social media but this, in turn, becomes a minefield for sorting out fact from fiction. We’re at an inflection point where paring down and drilling deep into information is going to be a necessity.
The future is always uncertain but what seems clear is that one of the most powerful tools anyone can harness is the single-minded pursuit of mastering how to seek the truth from information.
(This article was originally published on November 16, 2017, by Quartz, and is republished here.)

Do children in two-parent families do better?

Staff ReporterHealth, Youth 0

Family life is more richly varied than ever before. A growing proportion of parents in the UK choose to live together, rather than getting married. And during the past 20 years about one in five children has been growing up in a lone-parent family.

This reflects big social shifts in attitudes and opportunities, some of which started in the 1960s, when women began to gain more control over when to have children.

Two large studies in the UK and the US have been following children growing up since about the year 2000.

They are beginning to provide some evidence suggesting there is a measurable difference in how well children fare on average in single-parent families.

It’s a deeply sensitive area and the academics involved insist this is not about judging or blaming but rather capturing the challenges some families face when there is one parent.

Sara McLanahan was a single parent herself for 10 years, after her first marriage ended in divorce. Now, she is professor of sociology at Princeton University, in the US, where she has overseen the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study.

Five thousand children and their parents were recruited into the study in large American cities, mostly in families where the parents were not married. Looking at types of family structure was explicitly part of the research from the outset.

“The big finding from the first year was high hopes and low capabilities,” Prof Mclanahan said.

The mothers wanted the fathers to be involved and the fathers contributed a lot during pregnancy.

Because the study had recruited in big cities, many of the parents had lower incomes or levels of education and a high proportion were black or Hispanic American.

This was important because of the challenges these fathers face with the police and justice systems, with about 40% of the unmarried fathers spending some time in prison.

In this research, even allowing for economic disadvantage, Prof McLanahan said, data began to show the impact of instability on a child’s life.

Those whose parents had divorced were more likely to fail to progress at school.

Children who were in what the researchers characterised as a “fragile family”, where parents were cohabiting or there was a lone parent, were twice as likely not to graduate from high school.

Prof McLanahan said the data showed that even a child in a stable single-parent household was likely to do worse on some measures than a child of a married couple.

“Having two adults who co-operate to raise the child, who give time and money, means there are just more resources than one doing it,” she said.

She accepts the study isn’t perfect – after all, it isn’t an experiment but instead is following real lives. Even so, she said, the findings from this and other research were consistent enough to raise questions about whether lone-parent families needed more support.

There are big differences between the fragile families study and similar work done in the UK.

In the year 2000, 19,000 children were recruited with their parents into the Millennium Cohort Study.

The idea was to track their lives through to adulthood, looking at many different aspects of how they were doing. Unlike the US study, the data here shows little difference between married and cohabiting parents, perhaps because this large study is more representative of the population as a whole.

The children in the Millennium Cohort Study are assessed every year for basic skills such as numeracy and literacy. On both the basic education skills and the outcomes, children in single parents appear to be worse.

“We measure their wellbeing levels, of depressive symptoms, of how they’re feeling, their levels of anxiety and so on. And we tend to see they’re also doing worse – also on that dimension,” said lead researcher Prof Emla Fitzsimons, from the Institute of Education.

The difference appears to be the greatest among teenage girls:

  • Of girls in a family with two parents in a stable relationship, 22% had high levels of depressive symptoms
  • For girls living with a single parent, this rose to 27%

But how sure can researchers be, given the many financial challenges a single parent household faces? Prof Fitzsimons said: “There is still a difference between the outcomes of children born to single-parent households, versus married or cohabiting, even when you taken into account they tend to be from poorer homes.”

The academics say these are average findings across large populations, not a judgement on any individual parents. Neither Prof McLanahan nor Prof Fitzsimons think their research should change the complex decisions individuals make about how to raise their children. But they are asking questions of wider society about what could be done to provide more support to parents taking on the difficult job of bringing up children on their own.

The most recent findings looked at how children’s age altered the effect of parents separating. For the very youngest children, the impact was significantly less than if the split happened later in childhood, from about the age of seven upwards.

GOPIO-CT HOSTS YOUTH AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ANNUAL MEETING

Staff ReporterBusiness, Community, Youth 0
Indian American High School students from Southern Connecticut joined young professionals at a networking luncheon event in Stamford on December 24th. Organized by the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin-Connecticut Chapter (GOPIO-CT) at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Stamford,it was a house full event. GOPIO-CT has been organizing this event for the last twelve years. The program brings together an opportunity for the high school students to interact with college students and young professionals.
The program was put together by Dr. Beena Ramachandran, a teacher at Greenwich High School and who also teaches at University Connecticut Stamford Campus. The networking event started with greetings from GOPIO-CT youth leader Vedant Gannu followed by a formal welcome by GOPIO-CT’s newly elected President Ashok Nichani. The keynote address was delivered by Mrs. Rama Ramachandran, Chief Technology Officer at Black Diamond Capital, a $12 billion financial services firm in Greenwich, CT.  At Black Diamond, Rama is responsible for all Technology initiatives.
GOPIO-CT HOSTS YOUTH AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ANNUAL MEETING
Speakers and panelists at the seminar session organized GOPIO-CT at the Youth and
Young Professionals Interactive Session. From l. to r. GOPIO-CT President Ashok Nichani, Curren
Iyer, Serena Iyer, Rama Ramachandran, Anand Chavan, Nami Kaur and organizer and Moderator
Beena Ramachandran

Rama has over 25+ years of experience in the Financial Services Industry and has authored several books on computer science.  He has also spoken at several industry conferences and been on panels.  He teaches Math and Statistics for the MBA Program at Uconn Stamford.

As the keynote speaker, Mr. Ramachandran gave the audience an overview of the world of finance and how technology permeates every aspect of it. He provided insights into what companies look for when choosing candidates for jobs in finance.  He also gave tips on how to network and what resources to use. Finally, he laid out 7 life skills that students need to learn and master in college – chief among them being time management, teamwork and collaboration.
The first panelist was Anand Chavan, Founder and CEO of GuardX, a profitable company running for 4 years.  Mr. Chavan has 18+ years of industry experience in multiple software development, technology leadership, strategist role with Amaranth, UBS, Citi, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan & Bear Stearns.
Mr. Chavan described his career trajectory and how he ended up being an entrepreneur.  He stressed that one should find what one is good at and stick with it.  He finished by saying that the coming years are the best for someone deciding to start a company with a good idea.
The second panelist was Ms. Nami Kaur, a former Analyst Relations Manager at IBM in Marketing and Public Relations.  She currently volunteers for GOPIO international and Children’s Hope in India.
Ms. Kaur explained how, over the years, she has reinvented herself by going back to school several times and updating her skills and education. She stressed on the importance of contributing back to society as a way of moving forward in life.
A third panelist, Ms. Serena Iyer, a Sr. Manager in Strategy & Operations at Dreamworks Animation, recounted her life-path and how she ended up at Dreamworks after Goldman Sachs & an MBA from Harvard Business School. Some of the advice Serena gave to students were: Be good to everybody – above and below you in the company.  You never know when you will need them.  She also said you should form a good support group of friends so you can lean on them during times of stress.
The last panelist, Mr. Curren Iyer, is a Multi-Solution Consultant at Adobe who graduated from Harvard College.  Mr. Iyer said students get hired because of their skill set and not because they went to a good school.
GOPIO-CT HOSTS YOUTH AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ANNUAL MEETING
Some of the participants with speakers and GOPIO-CT officials after the Youth and Young
Professionals Interactive Session

“Also, if you don’t get into your dream school during your undergrad years you can always try again for your Masters degree,” Cuirren added.

The program ended with GOPIO-CT Advisor and Trustee Dr. Thomas Abraham calling on youth and young professionals to get involved in various activities including volunteering at the soup kitchen with GOPIO-CT sponsors seven times in a year and other social service activities. Lunch was served after the seminar and panel discussion where the participants had opportunity to network. GOPIO-CT plans more such program for the youth and young professionals.
Over the last 13 years, GOPIO-CT, a chapter of GOPIO International has become an active and dynamic organization hosting interactive sessions with policy makers and academicians, community events, youth mentoring and networking workshops, and working with other area organizations to help create a better future. GOPIO-CT – Global Organization of People of Indian Origin – serves as a non-partisan, secular, civic and community service organization – promoting awareness of Indian culture, customs and contributions of PIOs through community programs, forums, events and youth activities. It seeks to strengthen partnerships and create an ongoing dialogue with local communities.

Varshini Prakash On TIME’s Next 100 List

Staff ReporterEducation, Youth 0

Varshini Prakash—the executive director of the Sunrise Movement has been featured in TIME magazine’s Newt 100 Leaders List. Jay Inslee, Inslee, a Democrat, who is the governor of Washington, wrote in TIME about this young, dynamic and bold New Green Deal Leader, who is spearheading the Sunrise Movement: “Varshini Prakash—the executive director of the Sunrise Movement, which has fiercely advocated for proposals like the Green New Deal—is one of those visionary leaders who are fighting for their futures. I believe that 2019 will be remembered as a turning point for the climate: Varshini and other young leaders have permanently fixed climate change into the nation’s conscience as a moral imperative, an issue of economic justice and a way to create millions of jobs across America. Personally, I find the leadership of Varshini and the Sunrise Movement to be some of the greatest sources for hope in our fight against the climate crisis. The young people are leading this fight, and because of them, we will all win.”

Varshini Prakash was in sixth grade when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hit Chennai, the city in India where her grandmother lived. She remembers how powerless she felt, watching the footage at home in Acton, Massachusetts. Not knowing what else to do, Prakash gathered cans of food to donate to the Red Cross.

In high school, Prakash was shocked to learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and other environmental problems, but aside from joining the recycling club and micromanaging how her friends recycled, she didn’t have an outlet for her anger. She made a pact with herself that college would be different.

At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Prakash became involved in the school’s fossil fuel divestment campaign and spoke publicly for the first time at a rally. “I just fell in love with organizing in a way that I had never imagined,” she says.

But the more Prakash engaged with the issue of climate change, the more frustrated she grew with politicians unwilling to address it. What, she wondered, would an effective political movement demanding a response to the climate crisis look like?

In 2016, she and 11 of her peers started meeting regularly to try to answer this question. For over a year, they studied the civil rights, anti-apartheid, and other movements, creating the blueprint for what would become the Sunrise Movement—a youth-led grassroots effort intent on stopping climate change and promoting a just economic system.

Last November, the group made headlines when it staged a sit-in outside Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s office and (then representative-elect) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed up.

Since then, Prakash and other Sunrise activists have held high-profile sit-ins and protests across the country to build support for the Green New Deal. They also work to get candidates for office to forgo fossil fuel donations and commit to making climate change a campaign priority.

“We do the big moments—like at Pelosi’s office—that kind of shift the center of gravity,” Prakash says. “And we use that momentum to build organizing on the ground that won’t peter out.”

 This article appeared in the July/August 2019 edition of Sierra Club Magazine,with the headline “Blueprint for Change.”

Navneeth Murali from New Jersey wins 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee

Staff ReporterEducation, Youth 0

Navneeth Murali, 13 of Edison, New Jersey correctly spelled the word “flipe” meaning, to strip off by or as if by peeling,” during the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee finals to clinch the title of national champion and took home a cash prize of $3,000. Hephzibah Sujoe, 13 of Fort Worth Texas along with Pranav Nandakumar, 13 of Austin Texas, and Vayun Krishna, 12 of Sunnyvale, California tied for National Runner-Up position.

The initiative was organized by leading multicultural advertising firm, Touchdown Media Inc. Sony Entertainment Television Asia will broadcast the initiative across the globe in over 120 countries, Kawan Foods returned as the powered by sponsor for the initiative which is now in its 12th year.

“It fills my heart to see such talented young spellers from across the country who make us proud as a community. The initiative is unique in its reach and engagement and with the help of the SAS-Bee program, we were able to give even more spellers the opportunity to win it all and raise the bar even higher. My heartiest congratulations to the winner,” said Rahul Walia, Founder.

The initiative was open to children up to 14 years of age and was held in 5 regional centers across the United States. These areas included, New Jersey, DC Metro area, Dallas, Bay Area, and Charlotte.

Over 600 spellers from these centers participated from which 15 finalists took the stage at the Finals. “We are extremely happy with Naveneeth’s win at the Bee as it goes to show that todays South Asian kids are all well-rounded and highly dedicated to their craft. We produced a special section called “Meet the Spellers where the viewers will have an opportunity to get to know some of the spellers better,” said Tim Tan, Managing Director, Kawan Food, makers of the world’s most popular Roti Paratha Brand in the world – Kawan Paratha.

“It’s amazing to see the pool of talent from our community and am happy for Navneeth Murali’s win and excited to get to know him and some of the other spellers better in the “Meet the Speller” series airing shortly on Sony,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.

Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 16th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients, both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market. Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full-service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian diaspora in the United States.

Registration for 2020 will open in October this year and for more information and to register your child, please visit www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com. Find us on Facebook & Instagram at South Asian Spelling Bee.

Four persons of Indian-origin among Asia 21 Young Leaders

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Megha Rajagopalan, a 2018 Human Rights Press Awardee and an international correspondent for BuzzFeed News, Suhani Jalota, Founder & CEO, Myna Mahila Foundation, and Nikhil Pahwa, Founder & Editor, MediaNama, and Rhea Singhal, from Canada, Founder & CEO, Ecoware, are among the 2019 Class of Asia 21 Young Leaders, selected by Asia Society.

The 13th class join an unparalleled network of accomplished individuals under the age of 40 from across the Asia Pacific region, representing the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Made up of 39 visionary leaders from 31 countries, this year’s class includes activists, artists, educators, journalists, scientists, and social entrepreneurs.

The 2019 class will meet on November 15-17 in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, at the annual Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit. The summit – the first to be held in the United States – will carry the theme “Technology & Humanity: Roadmaps for the Future.” Since the first Asia 21 summit, held in Seoul in 2006, the initiative has connected people from the region and facilitated collaborations in tackling the common challenges of the 21st century, according to a press release.

Other awardees include Esra’a Al Shafei, who founded a network of online platforms to represent marginalized communities in Bahrain; Van Ngoc Ta, chief lawyer at a Vietnamese charity that rescues children in crisis and the first-ever recipient of Thomson Reuters Foundation’s “Trust Women Anti-Trafficking Hero Award”; Maryam Al-Subaiey, a women’s rights advocate from Qatar, who develops local talents in the creative industry and recently became the first female jockey to participate in the Emir’s Cup; and Farhad Wajdi, who helped build a school in a refugee camp in Pakistan at the age of 14 and later founded a non-profit rganization that challenges gender inequality in Afghanistan.

Also in this year’s class are entrepreneurs and innovators such as Bing Chen, Co-Founder and Chairman of Gold House Foundation and one of the original architects of YouTube; Rhea Singhal, from Canada, who introduced a fully compostable alternative to plastic and created the first and largest sustainable packaging company in India; Nat Ware, a Rhodes Scholar dubbed a “father of social impact economics”, who started an organization in Australia that provides affordable consulting services by utilizing university students; and Shahab Shabibi, an Iranian based in the Philippines, who provides financial and management support to new enterprisers and was on Forbes magazine’s recent list of Asia’s most influential entrepreneurs under the age of 30.

“This group of next-gen leaders are re-imagining and reshaping the relationship between Asia and the world,” said Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran, in a statement. “Asia 21 builds a unique, global network to connect this group of change-makers and channels their innovation, energy and vision into a platform to elevate and amplify these future leaders as they take on some of the toughest and most meaningful challenges in the world today.”

Asia 21 alumni now number roughly 1,000, many of whom will return for the 2019 Summit in November. The agenda will include cutting-edge discussions and events that will showcase the best of the Bay Area: technology, history, education, and food & culture. Highlights will include a fireside chat with the first female Dean of the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley, Tsu-Jae King Liu, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Computer History Museum, entrepreneurship workshops at Draper University, and visits and discussions with innovative leaders and tech companies in Northern California.

Asia 21 alumni include Foreign Policy managing editor Ravi Agrawal; SCB ABACUS CEO Sutapa Amornvivat; One Earth Designs co-founder and CEO Catlin Powers; former captain of the Pakistan national women’s cricket team Sana Mir; Senior Counsel at the Supreme Court of India Menaka Guruswamy; former Deputy Governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno; Global Head of ESG at Manulife Asset Management Emily Chew; former Philippines Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; Moby Group Chairman Saad Mohseni; Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah; Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Head of Equity Distribution Managing Director Soofian Zuberi; and President of Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Manizha Wafeq.

The 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee finishes strong with 5 Regionals

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Continuing its quest for the best speller in the community, the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee (www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com) traveled to California, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington DC and New Jersey these past two weekends.

With a huge turnout this year, the Bee attracted some top talent as well as young and new spellers that competed for the coveted prizes and titles. In Bay Area, Nidhi Vadlamudi of Santa Clara was the regional champ and Vayun Krishna of Sunnyvale, California was the first runner up.

In DC, Aryan Nindra of Leesburg Virginia along with Nilla Rajan of Chillicothe, Ohio were named co-champions.

In Charlotte, Maya Jadhav from Fitchburg, Wisconsin was the regional champ and Ekansh Rastogi of Heathrow, Florida was the first runner up.

In Dallas Pranav Nandakumar of Austin, Texas was the regional champ and Hepzibah Sujoe of Fort Worth, Texas was the first runner up.

In New Jersey, Navneeth Murali from Edison, New Jersey was the regional champ and Advitiya Jadhav of Princeton Junction, New Jersey was the first runner up.

The event is open to children of South Asian descendants up to 14 years of age. It will give South Asian children a chance to test their spelling skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers need their parent or guardian to register them online at: www.southasianspellingbee.com

Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the South Asian Spelling Bee is celebrating its 12thanniversary this year.

“For the past twelve years, the Bee has consistently provided a firm platform for the community to come together and hone their craft. It’s become a family activity that contributes towards the overall development of the child. We are proud to have concluded our twelfth consecutive year with wonderful spellers,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

Within the past year the South Asian Spelling Bee has been exhaustively featured in the documentary, “Breaking the Bee”, an exclusive story on VICE News that followed the journey of South Asian Spelling Bee spellers and the importance of the South Asian Spelling Bee platform being a vital step in their spelling journey and various mainstream media platforms across the country.

The top two spellers of each regional competition advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey on August 8th and the championship prize is $3,000.

This year, the Bee is proudly powered by Kawan- the world’s most popular Roti paratha brand and as always, Sony Entertainment Television ASIA, is the exclusive broadcast partner for the South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries.

“Kawan is proud to return as a sponsor and we have tremendous faith in contributing towards crucial family time for the community. We look forward to getting to know the spellers and their families through this wonderful journey,” said Tim Tan, Managing Director Kawan Food.

“Year over year, the South Asian Spelling Bee has made for great programming that gels with our ethos of compete family entertainment. We are all about family values and encourage platforms such as these that highlight the talent of our community,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of Americas, Sony Pictures Networks.

For a complete schedule, registration and any other information, please visit: www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com

Code Ninjas Grand Opening in Naperville Downtown

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“Teach kids coding and logic and problem-solving in a fun environment”

Naperville IL: You already know that your kids understand computers better than you, but did you know they can write computer code too?
Say the words “video game” and kids are bound to stop and listen. At Code Ninjas, they are coding and building their own games.
Code Ninjas in Naperville celebrated its Grand Opening at 1305 S Naper Blvd. in Naperville, IL. on Saturday, June 1, 2019. It was packed with kids from ages 7 to 14. New faces and current enrolled families joined to celebrate this location’s official opening. It is one of over 300 locations across the country.
The mission of Code Ninjas is to teach kids coding and logic and problem-solving in a fun environment. Kids who sign up for membership are ninjas. The coaches are sensei’s. And the classroom is their dojo.
As ninjas progress, they earn belts, just like they do in martial arts. The program is fun and motivating for kids with little wins along the way. When they advance to the next belt there is a “Belt-Up” celebration! By the time kids are a black belt (the last belt), perhaps four years down the road, they have all the knowledge needed to publish their own app.
Two sisters I met that are enrolled were excited to share that by the end of the first day in the dojo they were able to complete a multitude of games.
“Honestly, I wish I had this,” says a parent. “It’s intimidating looking at all the lines of code.”
Code Ninjas has other fun and engaging methods to teach kids about all different kinds of coding. The day I was there, a sensei was demonstrating how some coding was used to fly a drone around the room, to the delight of kids. Code Ninjas offers camps during school breaks where kids engage in topics different from curriculum.
The Naperville location is owned and operated by Kalyan Anandula and Preethi Kundoor. With a background in technology and application development, they were looking for STEM related activities for their own children and found that Code Ninjas offered the perfect environment for learning in a fun environment with other students who have the same interest.
“I always felt that if I had a better understanding of coding or STEM, it would have helped me in my corporate career, even as a business professional,” Kalyan says.
Code Ninjas is essentially an after-school STEM program. Ninjas can drop in from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. on weekends. They also can join summer camps.
“We don’t want kids to come here feeling like this is a class,” Kalyan says. “They’re here to build video games and have fun. We disguise the curriculum.”  Code Ninjas accomplishes this with a consistent game-based curriculum developed within nine belts. Membership includes a portal for parents where you can see what games your child is building and track their progress — or you can play the game they built yourselves.
A future career in coding could happen for any child who walks through the doors of a Code Ninjas location. Code Ninjas, though, is not just for kids who want to pursue STEM careers, Preethi emphasizes.
“Our mission is to expose kids to STEM and coding, so those two words aren’t intimidating anymore,” she says. “We hope that kids can make informed decisions when they choose their majors in college. The logic and problem-solving skills gained from our curriculum are helpful for various career paths.”
I spoke with the Center Director and local educator Lori Gehrke.  She is excited to see so many children come into the center who are interested in gaining exposure to coding at such as young age.  “We are providing children with skills that will help them gain access to jobs that currently do not exist, but with a foundation in coding and the critical thinking skills, they will be prepared for anything that comes their way in the future.”
Coding is important to help kids learn the critical skills that they need for their success.  Code Ninjas Naperville provides the atmosphere of fun and learning with parents seeing results.  For more information about the Code Ninjas Naperville location, please visit codeninjas.com/locations/il-naperville or call 630-300-3636 to schedule a center tour

7 Indian-origin kids win US Spelling Bee co-championship

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The Bee kicked off Tuesday, May 28th with its biggest field ever, and the co-champions bested 557 other contestants ranging in age from 7 to 14 in Thursday night’s prime-time finals. The result was the first time more than two co-champions were named, with winners from five different states.

Seven Indian-origin kids, along with an American, were declared co-champions of the US National Spelling Bee after the tie among the eight couldn’t be broken even after 20 rounds of the finals.

The unprecedented decision to declare eight co-champions was taken Thursday night after the organisers ran out of their selection of difficult words to challenge them further.

The 10-year monopoly of Indian-origin children was finally broken with a non-Indian girl from Alabama, Erin Howard, becoming a co-champion.

They are: Rishik Gandhasri, 13, of California; Erin Howard, 14, of Alabama; Saketh Sundar, 13, of Maryland; Shruthika Padhy, 13, of New Jersey; Sohum Sukhatankar, 13, of Texas; Abhijay Kodali, 12, of Texas; Christopher Serrao, 13, of New Jersey and Rohan Raja, 13, of Texas.

The eight champions were more than great spellers – they were the best. Each will receive the $50,000 prize that is usually reserved for just one champion. After the Bee, the winners said they were pulling for each other in the final round, spelling each word silently from their seats at the side of the stage.

“It feels amazing that I’m here with all these amazing spellers,” Abhijay said after the Bee. ” I’m speechless.”

With each correct response in the 20th and final round, a roar went up from the audience. When the last of the eight surviving finalists, Rohan Raja, spelled his word correctly to assure that all eight were winners, the ballroom shook and confetti rained down on the stage.

“We will soon run out of words that will possibly challenge you,” Jacques Bailly, the Bee’s longtime official pronouncer, said at the end of the 17th round, calling the eight winners “the most phenomenal assemblage of spellers in the history of this storied competition.”

The 94-year-old competition has become increasingly competitive, with contestants training with coaches and some parents paying to bypass the traditional path to qualify for the annual contest, which takes place at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland.

In the past only two co-winners were declared – most recently Indians in 2014, 2015 and 2016 – making the eight this year a record. The national level contest held in a Washington suburb is broadcast nationally on the sports channel ESPN, giving it the aura of a major sports event and a big audience. The contest is sponsored by the media company, EW Scripps.

 The groundbreaking finals capped a day of intense competition that began at 10 a.m. with the field of 50 spellers meant to be narrowed to about a dozen finalists by 2 p.m. In a sign of what was to come, the contestants proved more resilient than ever before.

By 3 p.m., the Bee’s organizers resorted to what Shalini Shankar, a professor at Northwestern University, called a “lawn mower” round of extremely hard words intended to winnow the remaining field. It worked, with spellers knocked out by head-spinning words such as Wundtian, coelogyne and yertchuk. Yet other spellers vanquished the likes of huiscoyol, bremsstrahlung and ferraiolone to advance to the finals.

The day’s high drama mirrored the most nerve-racking moments in sports, a point underscored by a video on ESPN’s big screen that juxtaposed Colette Giezentanner successfully inching her way through the word “choledoch” with Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce game-winner against the Sixers in the NBA playoffs. When the judge uttered “correct,” the audience erupted in cheers.

Much has changed since Bailly himself won the Bee in 1980. The winning words from that bygone era – croissant in 1970, incisor in 1975, luge in 1984 – would make today’s finalists laugh.

Ansun Sujoe, a 2014 co-champion whose sister Hephzibah reached this year’s finals, said that just five years later, he barely recognizes the event. “What I went through at this phase was two rounds and it lasted less than two hours,” he said. “This lasted five hours. It tells you how much smarter these kids are. My sister knew way more words than I do, and I was like, ‘Wow, good job!’”

Experts say many of the contestants who made it to the final 50 have personal coaches and spent practically every waking hour studying in preparation for this moment. The result is an unprecedented field of master spellers.

Another game-changing development is the new invitational program known as “RSVBee,” now in its second year. In the past, spellers reached the national event only by winning a regional bee and securing a sponsor, often a newspaper, to cover expenses. But with the advent of RSVBee, which supplied 292 of this year’s 565 contestants, families who can afford a $1,500 entry fee – plus six nights at the $300-a-night Gaylord and other expenses – can bypass the traditional path to the Bee.

“It’s made the field balloon in an unprecedented way,” said Shankar, who is also the author of “Beeline: What Spelling Bees Reveal About Generation Z’s New Path to Success,” adding that the pay-to-play model may “change the character of the Bee and who gets here.” But she noted that even the kids who compete under the aegis of a sponsor typically have the help of a paid coach, “so it’s rare that you see someone of really humble means making it here anymore.”

Scott Remer, a New York-based tutor and author of a spelling bee textbook, coaches three of the 16 finalists. He said winning the Bee takes more than rote memorization. His students study word roots and how to spell sounds in Latin, Greek, German, Japanese and several other languages.

“A good speller knows a lot of words,” Remer said. “A great speller is able to spell pretty much any word that you throw at them because they’re able to use this process to break the word down and come up with a very well-educated guess.”

The Spelling Bee opens in school and the winners go on to contests at the next levels and those champions go to the national competition, along with some who meet other criterion for selection. The Spelling Bee is open to students in eighth grade and below.

In addition to children from all the 50 US states, students also participate from the Bahamas, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea.

5th Annual Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund Awardee Reception 69 Nonprofits Received Capacity Building Support from NYC Council

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For the fifth consecutive year, the New York City Council has announced its support and commitment to investing in nonprofits through the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund. CCNSF, the first fund of its kind in New York City, was first announced in Fiscal Year 2015 to grant New York City-based nonprofits the support needed to increase capacity building for emerging and seasoned social services organizations.

69 community based organizations throughout New York City will receive transformative grants to support and create critical functions, provide economic stimuli and capacity building support to emerging and seasoned social services organizations.

 

These CBOs offer a varying array of services to New Yorkers, and are being funded to address a comprehensive menu of infrastructural needs including leadership development, financial management, and outcomes system development, among others. A representative from NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s office, NYC Councilmember Andy King, a representative from NYC Councilmember Adrienne Adams, NYC Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, the coordinating organizations for the Fund, and representatives from the 69 awardees gathered for a reception at Hispanic Federation on May 16th, 2019.

The coordinating organizations – Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Hispanic Federation, New York Urban League and Asian American Federation have been critical in leveraging dedicated nonprofit funds from the City Council. To date, $7.5 million has been committed to the Fund, which addresses the need for capacity-building funding for nonprofit organizations in communities of color. The monies have had a considerable impact on the sustainability, growth and prosperity of many organizations providing crucial services to the most vulnerable communities in New York City.

CCNSF was championed by NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson and has broad support among Council Members including the Black- Latino and Asian Caucus. Oversight of the funding is provided by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD).

Through a competitive Request for Application (RFA) process, independent expert allocation committees with knowledge of the nonprofit sector and the capacity building challenges they face, utilized rigorous vetting methods to select grant awardees. Grants were awarded by the partner agencies in three separate funding streams, whose allocations were determined by U.S. Census data. Each awardee was carefully selected to utilize funds to grow capacity, address challenges, and equip communities.

The awardees are community-based organizations from all five boroughs. They offer a varying array of services to New Yorkers, and are being funded to address a comprehensive menu of infrastructural needs including leadership development, financial management, and outcomes system development, among others. In addition to awarding the capacity building awards, the coordinating organizations will conduct several trainings on board development, financial management and fundraising for the awardees.

“For the past 5 years, the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) continues to provide important capacity building support and resources to Asian Pacific American (APA) organizations. This fund has enabled us to invest and strengthen nonprofit organizations that provide valuable social services to all New Yorkers. The APA community is the fastest growing population in New York but receives minimal resources. CCNSF is an opportunity to counter this disparity and build capacity within our communities,” said Anita Gundanna, Co-Executive Director, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families.

Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Director, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families said, “CCNSF has strengthened APA-led community organizations across New York City that provide the most effective culturally competent and language accessible services. We thank Speaker Corey Johnson and the support of New York City Council for investing in the organizations that provide the most impactful services to address our community’s needs, but also employ many from our community. We look forward to City Council’s continued partnership to strengthen our communities.”

Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation said, “As one of the original partners who advocated for the creation of CCNSF, we are thrilled to see another 69 organizations serving communities of color throughout New York City receive this critical funding to build their capacity. Our communities are best served by community-based organizations that have deep roots and trusted relationships in their communities, so we must invest in their growth and stability if we hope to meet the needs of the most vulnerable New Yorkers. We look forward to working with the City Council to continue to support these important nonprofits.”

“We are thrilled and thankful to the New York City Council for committing to the development and prosperity of New York City’s nonprofits” said José Calderón, Presidentof the Hispanic Federation. “Now in its fifth year, it’s clear that CCNSF has strengthened over 210 organizations providing critical services to our city’s residents. The Fund is a model on how we can work together to ensure the long-term viability of organizations that are the cornerstones of communities all throughout New York City. Now more than ever, we need a robust CCNSF, and we look forward to the City Council’s continued support.”

Ekal Vidyalaya Fundraiser A Huge Success

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The annual musical fundraiser held by the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA New England Chapter featured a great musical group that entertained the audience beautifully while helping raise funds to support the holistic development of villages in remote rural India.

The event was held at the Ashland High School in Ashland, MA on Sunday May 12.  Women volunteers draped in special uniform sarees (bought at Sree Sai Vogue) and male volunteers wearing uniform jackets welcomed the audience.  The lobby was beautifully decorated by Aneesha Karody and featured some beautiful paintings from the Ekal Artist Raksha Soni.  Following the lighting of lamps by some of the early and strong supporters of Ekal, the event opened with a welcome by Dr. Subra Dravida , the president of the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA, New England chapter.

Dr. Dravida highlighted the work that Ekal does in over 86000 rural remote villages.  Using education, health and skill training as the three focused areas of intervention, Ekal is working to bring about integrated village development.  The concerted efforts to make a difference resulted in Ekal Vidyalaya winning the Gandhi Peace Prize, which is the highest honor given to an Non-Profit organization by the government of India.

In keeping with the Mother’s day theme, the EMCEEs for the evening were the mother-daughter team of Sudha Subbaraman and her daughter Vamsi who did a stellar job mceeing the event.  The heartbeats group presented several Bollywood numbers. The music was stellar and the audience was rocking through the performance.

A pledge drive was conducted to raise funds for schools. Motivating speeches presented by Manorama Chaudhury and Sachin Goel inspired the members of the audience to give. Ram Nehra, one of the founding members of Ekal New England was given the Ekal Ratna award for his service to Ekal by Dr. Subra Dravida and Puran Dang, Chairman Emeritus for Ekal New England. Ekal Youth Leader, Sanjana Krishna was honored for her tremendous commitment to the cause by Ekal Youth Program director Anuradha Upneja and former Ekal New England President Parveen Minocha. Latha Krishnan, the VP for Ekal New England presented the vote of thanks.

The event was followed by dinner. The attendees overwhelmingly applauded the event as one of the finest musical evenings in New England.

For more information on Ekal, please check out their website at http://ekal.org. 

Engineering Building at the University of Houston renamed after Dr. Durga and Sushila Agrawal

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Dr. Durga D. Agrawal, a longtime Houston resident, is well known for giving back to the community particularly to his alma mater – the University of Houston.  One 26th April 2019, the University recognized his sizable and generous gift by renaming the Engineering building as the Durga D. and Sushila Agrawal Engineering Research Building. A floor is also named after the couple and the gift will provide ongoing support for faculty, students, research and building operations.

Chancellor Renu Khator, Consul General of India Dr. Anupam Ray, members of the Indian community, students, faculty, Dr. Agrawal’s children, grandchildren and colleagues were present at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

In his remarks, Dr. Agrawal credited several people for his success. He expressed his admiration and respect for his professors at UH like Dr. Rhodes (who was present at the ceremony), Dr. Donaghey, Dr. Dawkins and Dr. Elrod who “put their heart and soul” into teaching students including some like him who had trouble understanding both the language and the American accent. He traced his values of compassion, giving back and respect for education to his parents and acknowledged his wife Sushila’s support and patience without which, he said, he would not have completed his doctorate or built his business.

UH, he concluded, “has a very special place in my heart. We must keep the torch of knowledge, excellence and innovation growing and glowing.”

Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator tweeted: “Today, we named the new Engineering building after Dr. and Mrs. Durga Agrawal, our alum and regent to celebrate their generosity. Your gift will inspire our students and alumni for many generations! Thank you.

Over the years, Dr. Agrawal, who is 74, has been providing endowments, scholarships and internships for UH students. In 2013, he was named a member of the UH System Board of Regents by Texas Governor Rick Perry. He hopes his contributions “will encourage additional donors and attract high-caliber students, especially since many UH students are from the Houston area and will most likely stay here upon graduation to pursue their careers.”

The building today bears no resemblance to the one Dr. Durga studied in but has been rebuilt on the same piece of land. UH’s engineering college boasts of more than 4,200 students, including over 1,150 graduate students, enrolled in 10 engineering disciplines, as well as several interdisciplinary graduate programs.

Dr. Agrawal’s kindness and generosity isn’t limited to giving donations but also comes across in small gestures. When Houston was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey, Dr. Agrawal and members of his family showed up at the campus with vans to transport stranded students to other locations and even took many home.

His deep seated value for education probably stems from his own early struggles for educational opportunities.  He was born in Lakhanpur, a small village in Madhya Pradesh in India with a population of 700. The village did not have a water supply system, electricity or high school which meant that he had to cycle or sometimes even walk to the high school 13 miles away. He was also the bookkeeper for his father’s prosperous business from the time he was in elementary school and reveals that “when you work in the family business, you learn a lot.”  

Encouraged by his parents, he attended one of the best engineering schools in India, IIT, New Delhi. In 1968, he came to Houston to pursue his Masters in Industrial engineering and in 1974 added a Doctorate to his resume, both from the UH Cullen College of Engineering.  He attributes his present success to the two institutions equally and gives back unstintingly to both. As he says “giving back to the community is important and there’s no other field where money invested gives back more returns than education.”

In 1975, Dr. Durga put his entrepreneurship skills to the test by building his company Piping Technology and Products from scratch, out of his garage. The company is today one of the leading providers of pipes for industrial and construction needs and employs over a 1000 people.

Dr. Agrawal also earns high marks for his spirit of community service. He was the first major donor and Founding president of India House, a community center that offers free services and community programs. As the founder and first President of the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, he has been part of many delegations to promote trade and the exchange of educational and medical resources between Houston and India. No stranger to high ranking elected officials, he was once introduced by President George Bush as “my good friend from Texas” at a State Dinner for Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Capitol Hill.

A regular practitioner of yoga, Dr. Agrawal is a key contributor to the S-Vyasa Yoga Center that was recently inaugurated in Houston.

Vibrant Goa Global Expo/Summit 2019 Roadshow in Chicago

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Chicago IL: Newly designated Consul General of India Mr. Sudhakar Dalela in collaboration with Indian American Business Council [IABC] headed by Harish Kolasani, IABC Founding Presidentheld Vibrant Goa roadshow highlighting Goa’s phenomenal success story in areas such as such as innovation, sustainability, industries, technology, youth, skill development and knowledge sharing and networking at the Indian Consulate premises in downtown Chicago on April 16, 2019. The entire gamut of Goa’s illustrious story will be extensively showcased at the Vibrant Goa Global Expo & Summit 2019 to be held in Goa, India on October 17-19, 2019.
 
Consul General of India Mr. Sudhakar Dalela in his keynote address comprehensively outlined India’s growing economic eminence and the trajectory of its extraordinary growth. Consul General Mr. Sudhakar Dalela commended the initiatives of the Goa’s leadership and the roadshow delegation including Dr. Jagat Shah and Raj Kumar Kamat in helping advance the vision of Goa through this magnificent Vibrant Goa 2019 Expo. Consul General of India Mr. Sudhakar Dalela said that this Vibrant Goa 2019 will augur well in validating Goa’s fastest growing economy which is driven by strong performance of industrial, mining, tourism and pharmaceuticals — that which waswas reaffirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
Dr. Jagat Show, Founder Managing Director of Global Network & Chief Mentor of Vibrant Goa 2019 in his presentation expansively delineated the goal of Vibrant Goa Global Expo & Summit and presented a host of audiovisuals illustrating the phenomenal trajectory of growth of the state of Goa vis-à-vis India’s burgeoning economic eminence. Dr. Jagat Shah said Vibrant Goa Global Expo Summit would be an ideal convergence of Goa’s industries and business community to showcase their strengths, highlight business opportunities and facilitate knowledge dissemination across 19 countries worldwide and 20 states in India. He added Vibrant Goa 2019 would provide a practical opportunity to its participants to understand the potential of Goa across various sectors
 
Harish Kolasani, IABC President welcomed the corporate, business and community leader and explained the overview of Indian American Business Council and its significant role in creating platforms in connecting business entrepreneurs; more importantly connecting the small to medium businesses between the United States and India. In a statement, Harish Kolasani said that in less than 24 hours IABC has received huge wave of interest in participating in the VIbrant Goa 2019 including prominant leader Smita Shah, Chair of Delhi Committee on Chicago Sister Cities International had made remarks on ways Delhi Sister City Committee can complement the Vibrant Goa 2019. 
 
Raj Kumar Kamat, Founder Managing Director of Kamat Group and President of Vibrant Goa Foundation presented the goal of the Vibrant Goa expo summit. Pranav Agarwal Director of Balasahree Foods made presentation on “blue fort’ producing basmati rice. Anand Chatterjee, General Manager of Planet Hollywood Beach Resort made presentation on burgeoning tourism of Goa. Pranav Aggarwal, a basmati rice exporter from Goa was also part of delegation with his Blue Fort brand.
 
Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, IABC Director proposed the vote of thanks and thanked Consul General Mr. Sudhakar Dalela for opening the doors of his office and hosting this milestone meeting that sought to connect the delegation from Goa to Chicago’s business leaders.
 
Vibrant Goa Global Expo and Summit 2019 (VG GES 2019) (www.vibrantgoa.com), a dream project of Late Shri Manohar Parrikar the former Chief Minister of Goa state, is focused on inclusive development of Goa in key areas. Vibrant Goa Foundation organizes vibrant Goa 2019 in partnership with Global Network and BNI and in association with Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Goa State Industries Association and Goa Technology Association. Make in India is the manufacturing partner of Vibrant Goa 2019. Government of Goa, India supports the initiative.
 
VG GES 2019 will be one of a kind display expo; something that has never been witnessed by the people of Goa and its industry. This display shall be sharing all the developments, newer projects and vision of growth. In addition, the eco-friendly planet Hollywood beach resort was showcased at the Chicago roadshow.
 
The knowledge summit at VG GES 2019 will be organized concurrently with the Expo with an aim to bridge the gap between Goan industries and other national as well as international players. Moreover, internationally acknowledged and successful ‘Goans’ hailing from over 40 different countries shall be making a memorable visit to their native soil.
 
Pursuing the idea of our honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to see India proliferate in corporate and commercial realms across the world by providing optimal combination of skilled human resources and state-of-the-art technology; Vibrant Goa Global Expo and Summit 2019 will be an ideal platform to meet, interact, network and discuss business possibilities for importers, exporters, investors, customers, experts and all those who matter in business and trade.
 
Vibrant Goa 2019 is based on the Vibrant Gujarat model which brings together global business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers to understand and explore business opportunities.
 
Key Sectors of focus: Agro and Food Processing, Emerging Technologies, Construction Equipment, IT (Information Technology), Light Engineering, Medical Tourism, Pharma and Biotech, Startups and Start-up Institutions, Ship Building, Education,Building Materials, construction and Real Estate, Film & Entertainment, Tourism and wellness, Services and other sectors. The key highlights of Vibrant Goa 2019 includes: Goa Expo, Business to Business B2B and Business to Government B2G Meeting, Knowledge Sharing Seminars on countries & sectors, Technology Transfer proposals, Opportunities of Investment and Joint Ventures, MoU signing with International Chambers, Company Site visits, Goa Shopping Festival and Guinness Book World Record attempt for largest Feni Drink (Cashew Liquor)
 
Over 17 international roadshows across 17 key countries globally and 20 national roadshows across 20 state capitals of India are being conducted to pave way for the participation of international & national delegations to help strengthen trade relations with India & Goa.

Neha Upadhyaya selected for 2019 ‘World Fellows’ by Yale University

Staff ReporterEducation, Youth 0
A social entrepreneur from India, Neha Upadhyaya, has been selected by Yale University as one of their 2019 ‘World Fellows.’ The Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program enables extraordinary individuals, from across the globe and from diverse disciplines, to increase their capacity to make the world a better place. Each year, the Program selects 16 World Fellows to spend four months together in residence at Yale University to grow intellectually, share knowledge, strengthen skills and expand networks.
“World Fellows are people of character, integrity, energy and talent. They are dynamic, creative, disruptive and innovative. They are selfless leaders who serve, inspire and motivate others. They have demonstrated impact, they are on the rise in their careers, and they are ambitious to grow to their full potential,” say a statement by Yale University.
Established in 2002, the Program now has a network of over 300 World Fellows contributing to their communities in 90 countries, connected to each other and to Yale.
Upadhyaya is a social entrepreneur based in New Delhi. In 2014, she founded GUNA Organics, which provides ethically-sourced organic food products grown by rural female Indian farmers.
GUNA’s vision is to empower these farmers through vertical integration of organic farming and solar technology. Previously her focus was working with children suffering from various health issues including diabetes, autism, and ADHD.
Curious about alternatives to western medicine, she trained at Daylesford Organic School, Wholefood Harmony, and Navdanya Bina Vidyapeeth.
She was the recipient of Future Leaders Connect (2018) and Social Impact India (2017) awarded by the British Council. She has won several prototype grants and awards, including Entrepreneur Excellence award by I.I.T. Delhi (2017), and was awarded a full scholarship to study sustainability and responsible leadership from the Government of Sweden in 2017. With a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, she envisions an inclusive, equitable, and healthy society where men and women support each other in every aspect of life and enjoy their right to realize their full potential.
This year marks the 18th cohort of World Fellows. Apart from Upadhyaya, a total of 21 Indians, including actress Nandita Das and economist and activist Chetna Sinha have been selected as Yale World Fellows since the program started in 2002, according to PTI.
Emma Sky, director of the Maurice R Greenberg World Fellows Program, said the courage, ingenuity and passion of the World Fellows will be an inspiration to all at Yale.

After Fake University Bust, Indian Embassy opens hotline for students detained by US authorities

Staff ReporterCommunity, Education, Travel, Youth 0

As many as 129 Indians are among the 130 foreign students arrested for enrolling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US. The university in Detroit’s Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case. The arrest of such a large number of students has created panic among the Indian students.

Officials said all of them face deportation, besides being put under detention. A number of students have been put under some kind of house arrest with tracking device on their ankle, that prohibits them from moving out of a designated area in their neighbourhood.

As part of its investigations, early this week, the ICE arrested eight recruiters on criminal charges. From their names it appears that all of them are either Indian nationals or Indian-Americans. “These suspects aided hundreds of foreign nationals to remain in the United States illegally by helping to portray them as students, which they most certainly were not. HSI remains vigilant to ensure the integrity of US immigration laws and will continue to investigate this and other transnational crimes,” said Special Agent Charge Francis. According to the ICE, in 2017, as many as 249,763 Indian students were enrolled in the various American universities. Students from China topped the list with 481,106 in 2017.

On its website, the University of Farmington advertised an innovative STEM curriculum that would prepare students to compete in the global economy, and flexible class schedules that would allow them to enroll without disrupting their careers. The Michigan-based school touted the number of languages spoken by its president (four) and the number of classes taught by teaching assistants (zero.) Photos of the campus showed students lounging around with books on a grassy quad, or engaged in rapt conversation in its brightly-lit modern library. Tuition was relatively reasonable – $8,500 a year for undergraduates and $11,000 a year for graduate students.

“Located in the heart of the automotive and advanced manufacturing center of Southeast Michigan, the University of Farmington provides students from throughout the world a unique educational experience,” the site informed prospective applicants.

But there were no classes taking place at the university, which employed no instructors or professors. In court filings that were unsealed Wednesday, federal prosecutors revealed that the school’s employees were actually undercover agents working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The fake university had been set up in 2015 as part of an elaborate sting operation aimed at ensnaring foreign nationals who had initially come to the United States on student visas. Its “campus” consisted of a small office in a corporate park in the northwestern Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, Michigan, with no quad or library in sight.

The phony university was “being used by foreign citizens as a ‘pay to play’ scheme,” prosecutors allege. After forking over thousands of dollars, students would provide immigration authorities with evidence that they were enrolled in a full-time educational program. They could then continue to live and work in the United States under a student visa. But since the University of Farmington didn’t actually exist, they didn’t have the hassle of writing papers, taking tests or showing up to class.

Students knew that the scheme was illegal, “and that discretion should be used when discussing the program with others,” prosecutors wrote in their indictment, which was filed Jan. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

According to the Detroit News, which first reported on the undercover operation, dozens of University of Farmington students were arrested on immigration violations on Wednesday as part of a massive nationwide sweep, and are now potentially facing deportation. In addition, eight people who allegedly worked as “recruiters” for the school and collectively helped at least 600 students to remain in the country under false pretenses now face federal conspiracy charges.

The Department of Homeland Security’s list of certified schools where international students can enroll includes the University of Farmington. And the school made some pretense of being a legitimate institution. Before Wednesday night, when the school’s Facebook and Twitter accounts were abruptly deleted, posts on social media notified students about school cancellations due to an ice storm, and advertised an upcoming admissions fair. It had a Latin motto – “Scientia et Labor,” meaning “Knowledge and Work” – and a handful of positive online reviews from people claiming to be satisfied alumni.

But no one enrolled at the university was making progress toward a degree, the indictment said. The “unique educational experience” promoted on the school’s website apparently consisted of not going to school at all.

There were some clues that not everything was aboveboard. The school’s website never said how many enrolled students it had, though it claimed that they came from all 50 states and 47 countries. It didn’t name the university’s president or the year when the school was founded. As the Detroit News’s Robert Snell noted on Twitter, a photo showing a diverse group of students deep in concentration came from Shutterstock. The university claimed to be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, but did not appear in an online directory of accredited institutions on the organization’s website.

According to prosecutors, students were well aware that the school was a fraud. They allegedly chose to enroll anyway because doing so would allow them to remain in the country on F-1 nonimmigrant visas, which allow foreign citizens to temporarily reside in the United States while studying accredited academic institutions.

Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for ICE in Detroit, told local news station WXYZ that the students had entered the United States legally on F-1 visas after being accepted to legitimate schools, and had later transferred to the University of Farmington.

The federal indictments name eight people in eight states who allegedly worked as recruiters for the school. All have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit. They face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The eight recruiters allegedly helped create fraudulent records, including transcripts, that students could give to immigration authorities. Authorities contend that they collectively accepted more than $250,000 in kickbacks for their work, not realizing that the payments were actually coming from undercover agents who worked for Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE.

“We are all aware that international students can be a valuable asset to our country, but as this case shows, the well-intended international student visa program can also be exploited and abused,” Matthew Schneider, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said in a statement emailed to media outlets on Wednesday.

This isn’t the first time that the feds have set up a fake university with the goal of rooting out visa fraud. Calling “pay to stay” a national security threat, officials announced in April 2016 that they had charged 21 people with recruiting international students who paid to enroll at the made-up University of Northern New Jersey so that they could get student visas. More than a dozen students who partook in the scheme later told the New York Times that they felt they had been deceived by the government.

Many of the students who enrolled at the University of Farmington appear to be Indian nationals who belong to the Telugu ethnic group. The American Telugu Association said in a Wednesday  statement that “scores of Telugu students nationwide” had been arrested in early-morning raids, and that the organization was attempting to provide them with legal guidance.

As the News noted, the undercover investigation seems to have ramped up one month after President Trump took office. While the fake university was set up in 2015, it wasn’t until February 2017 that HSI agents began posing as university officials, the indictment said. The undercover operation, nicknamed “Paper Chase,” continued until earlier this month.

The Indian embassy has appointed a nodal officer to handle and coordinate all issues related to helping Indian students affected by the busting of the “pay-and-stay” racket run by a group of Indians that has put some 600 students under trouble.

The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist 129 Indian students arrested by the American authorities in the “pay-and-stay” university visa scam, officials have said. The two numbers – 202-322-1190 and 202-340-2590 – would be manned by senior embassy officials round the clock, officials said on Friday. The arrested students, their friends and family members can contact the embassy at cons3.washington@mea.gov.in.

Dharmatma Saran: “India’s Cultural Ambassador to the World” Imbibing Indian values, traditions and culture among the youth of Indian origin through Miss India Worldwide Pageants

Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture/Religion, India, Profiles, Youth 0
One of the few events I have always looked forward to attend with my family, ever since we moved to New York two decades ago, and would never want to miss, is the spectacular Miss India Pageants organized by India Festival Committee (IFC).
The annual pageants started in a basement in New York in 1980 with the first ever Miss India New York and Miss India USA, has evolved and expanded, now incorporating and having membership from over 40 countries, that promote Indian heritage and providing a platform for people of Indian origin to unite and showcase their talents, skills and beauty.
Dharmatma Saran, chairman and founder of the New York based India Cultural Festival (IFC) that organizes the trail blazing Miss India Worldwide, is a pioneer in entertainment, holding Indian pageants and fashion shows in the USA and worldwide.
In 1990, Dharmatma Saran, decided to take the pageant one step further to an international level and started The First Miss India Worldwide Pageant to identify and honor beauties of Indian origin the world over and the show graduated to become the top most international Indian pageant on the earth. “For the first time ever, Asian-Indian communities from all over the world came together in New York for this event,” says Saran with a sense of pride. “To the best of our knowledge, no other ethnic organi­zation has ever conducted a pageant of this magnitude on an international level.”
The pageant was an instant success and was acclaimed as “the most glamorous Indian function in the world.”
“When Miss India New York started in 1980, I had perhaps not even in my wildest dreams imagined that in less than twenty years, we would fledge out to be a mass movement with affiliates in over 40 countries, let alone that we would one day have a live internet webcast and broadcast our most prestigious function, the Miss India Worldwide, to an audience of over 300 million people!”
The pageants aim to honor achievement, to celebrate our culture in many ways, among them, the ability to meet people, make friends, to respect and be respected, to continually strive to improve standards, and to live a life as close to the laws of nature.
In line with other prestigious international pageants, IFC started staging Miss India Worldwide in various parts of the world. In 1997, the pageant was organized in Bombay to salute India on its 50th anniversary of Independence. In the year 1998, the pageant was organized, in associa­tion with UTV International, in the exotic and beautiful city of Singapore, South Afrcia, Malyasia, UAE, Surinam and several other states in the US.
The IFC selects distinguished local organizations in various parts of the world and authorizes them to conduct national pageants in their respective countries. The India Festival Committee, started in 1974 in a most humble way, has come a long way. While seeking to collaborate with internationally reputed groups, Saran joined hands with the Times of India group’s Femina that runs the beauty pageants in India until 1997.
The contestants in all the pageants are of Indian origin, between the ages of 18 and 28, and are citizens, residents, or born in the country which they represent. The pageant consists of four segments – Evening Gown, Ethnic Wear, Talent and Question-Answer. The winners of all the various national pageants from all over the world vie for the glamorous and prestigious title of the Miss India Worldwide.
Saran and the pageant are “very proud of the fact that we have been able to provide a common platform for the international Indian community through pageantry. We are equally proud of the fact that we have been able to imbibe Indian values, traditions and culture among the youth of Indian origin around the world. We have also been successful in promoting Indian performing arts in the world.”
In fact, motherland, culture and India are the words repeatedly invoked by most con­testants. Clearly, this pageant was also about roots and identity. “We will never permit vulgarity and bikini wearing in our competitions. We don’t believe in the axiom, shorter the dress, greater will be the chances of winning the prize. We are very conservative in that. We only showcase the best of Indian culture and not the skin. We strongly oppose exhibiting women in a cheap manner on the dais,” Saran said adding that his shows are always meant for the entire family.
In the year 2016, saran introduced, on popular demand, the First Ever Mrs. India Worldwide, which has been received with enthusiasm from around the world. This is a pageant that provides married Indian women around the world with a platform, where they would get an opportunity to “Make a difference in the world.”
Most of these women have set their sights on professions like medicine, public relations and the law. The con­test gave them a chance to take a de­tour and explore their Indian identities through colorful Indian attire and dance. Many of them have set their eyes on Bollywood and Hollywood, and participating in the pageants is a stepping stone for many to climb up the ladder in the world of fashion, silver screen, politics and charity.
Saran has become an internationally well-known leader in promoting pageantry around the world. Support came from most unexpected quarters. Noted actress, social worker, feminist and leader, Shabana Azmi, who is known to blast all beauty pageants, endorsed Saran’s show as noble as it helped funds for the deserving children.
 “The IFC motivates and guides its winners and contestants to take up charitable causes. Many of our past winners have raised substantial amount of money for various charities, especially for handicapped children,” says Saran.
IFC has used the title to raise funds for the poor and the needy. Saran has been successful in combining beauty with char­ity. It was Saran’s dream that beauty works for a good cause. Bela Bajaria, one of his highly successful beauty queens from Los Angeles, has collected $35,000 each year for the Hand and Heart for the Handicapped for many years to help disabled children in US and India. Another successful Miss India Hong Kong collected $100,000 in a charity ball to help the helpless people.
Saran credits the success of the pageantry to his family and a team of hard working people. “I don’t know how I would have fared but for the unstinted support of Air India. Also my friends former News India editor John Perry; President of Jackson Heights Merchants Association V.N. Prakash; TV Asia Chairman Padmashree H.R. Shah, Bombay Broadcasting’s Giri Raj; and all the successive Indian Consuls General have stood with me.” he recalls with gratitude.
 Saran is blessed with an understanding wife Neelam. She has been a source of great strength and support to him from the day one. His two daughters, Neema and Ankeeta have always been of great support and as­sistance.
Saran contributions to Indian culture has been appreciated and recognized by various organizations around the world and he has been acclaimed as “India’s cultural ambassador to the world.” He has traveled with his wife Neelam to various countries to start Indian pageant.
Recently he was awarded Bharat Gaurav Award held at the headquarters of United Nations in New York.
As Farook Khan, Chairman of Miss India-South Africa Corporation, says, “The Miss India-Worldwide Pageant has developed further into a grandiose platform of unity through culture over the few short years it has been in existence. It has become an event which is boundless and this has become a reality due to the foresight and vision of dedicated men and women who came to the United States of America to start a new life and to carry all that India has to and will continue to offer.”
To quote Khan, “At one time, the pageant was regarded as a beauty contest, it no longer suffers from this narrow reputation. It has fledged out to be a mass international movement which honors the perform­ing arts, develops finesse as a way of life and puts into communities a sense of compassion.”
Saran and his dedicated band of men and women have inspired people around the world to participate in a truly remarkable spectacle that enjoys the status of a truly bound­less Festival of good. The Miss India Worldwide is such a hallmark, it is not just a beauty pageant.

Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally creates space-detecting algorithm to tackle parking problem

Staff ReporterScience & Technology, Youth 0

An Indian student in the US, Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally, who is studying at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has created a space-detecting algorithm that can help tackle the problem of finding a parking spot by using big data analytics and save a person’s time and money.

Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally, who is studying at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has also won second prize at the 2018 Science and Technology Open House competition for his creation.

According to a university press release, Sai’s creation relies on big data analytics and deep-learning techniques to lead drivers directly to an empty parking spot.

Big data analytics is a complex process of examining large and varied data sets to uncover information including hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends and customer preferences.

Sai conceived the idea shortly after the university transitioned to zone parking last fall.

“The data show that, on a typical day, there is a high chance that students or faculty members will have difficulty getting a parking spot between 11 am and 1 pm, leading to the wastage of time and fuel, and adding to the pollution” He says.

“Hence, finding a parking spot as soon as a person enters the parking lot is essential.” What he needed was to find a way to identify empty spaces and then direct the driver to the location. But unlike other parking apps in the market, he wanted to develop one that didn’t rely on the purchase, installation, and maintenance of expensive in-ground sensors.

To help put his plan in action, Sai turned to Vineetha Menon, an assistant professor of Computer Science. As the director of UAH’s Big Data Analytics Lab, Menon also had access to the high-performance computing power that Sai needed to create and train his machine-learning model, which relies on a robust parking-lot data set provided by the Federal University of Parana in Brazil.

“The goal of the Big Data Analytics Lab is to establish Big Data Analytics and Data Science as mainstream research areas of the university, so it can accommodate the high computational and memory demands of Big Data generation and processing,” Menon says.

Sai, who graduated in electronics and communications engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, hopes to develop a parking-support mobile app dubbed InstaParkthat can display the real-time grid layout of empty and occupied parking spots using the phone’s GPS.

Rishab Jain Named ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ at 2018 Young Scientist Challenge

Staff ReporterScience & Technology, Youth 0
Indian American whiz kid Rishab Jain was named the overall winner of the 2018 Discovery Education and 3M annual Young Scientist Challenge, held Oct. 17 at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Eighth-grader Rishab Jain recently won the Grand Prize of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge after creating “a method that uses artificial intelligence to help accurately locate the pancreas during MRI radiotherapy and make cancer treatment more effective.” As the winner, Jain received $25,000 and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
An algorithm he created uses machine learning to help doctors zero in on the pancreas during cancer treatment. Doing so can be difficult, since the pancreas is often obscured by other organs, and since breathing and other bodily processes can cause it to move around the abdominal area. As a result, doctors sometimes need to deploy radiation treatment with an “error circle” that ensures they’ll hit the pancreas, but that may kill some healthy cells as collateral damage.
Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, according to pancreatic.org. An inherent challenge of radiation treatment for pancreatic cancer resides in targeting the pancreas itself, the release said.
“It all started in the summer of 2017,” the 13-year-old Portland middle schooler. “I learned about some surprising statistics, such as the low survival rate, and that really inspired me to try to find a way to work on this problem. I’m also into programming. … So I wondered if I could apply some of the knowledge I had in artificial intelligence to this real-world problem of pancreatic cancer,” young Jain said.
Firstly, it is often obscured by the stomach or other nearby organs, making the pancreas difficult to locate, and second, breathing and other anatomical changes may cause the pancreas to move around in the abdominal area. As a result, radiotherapy treatment can inadvertently target and impact healthy cells, it noted.
Jain developed and tested his algorithm using images of the human digestive system, and found it could correctly detect the pancreas with a 98.9 percent success rate. The innovation aims to improve accuracy, reduce invasiveness and increase efficiency during treatment, resulting in better quality of life and chance for survival among patients, according to the companies.
The finalists presented their inventions to an esteemed panel of scientists and leaders from both Discovery Education and 3M. In addition, they competed in two other challenges that combined multiple 3M technologies to solve a real-world problem.
“All of the finalists for America’s Top Young Scientist embody the same curiosity, creativity, and passion that 3M uses when we apply science to life,” said Paul Keel, senior vice president of business development and marketing-sales at 3M. “These talented young men and women are just beginning their lives as scientists. I am excited by the endless possibilities that await each of them. We wish them all the joy and success that comes from a lifelong journey of exploration.”
The nine finalists received $1,000 and a variety of prizes from Discovery Education and 3M. The second, third and fourth runners-up also received a trip to a taping of a show on Discovery’s family of networks, the release said.
Indian American Mehaa Amirthalingam, an eighth grader at Sartaria Middle School from Sugar Land, Texas, was the runner-up. She developed a toilet flushing system that uses both fresh and recycled water to reduce water consumption in the home.
Sriram Bhimaraju, a sixth-grader at Harker Middle School in Cupertino, Calif., took fourth place in the competition. He developed an Archery Assistant app that improves an archer’s accuracy by correcting form in real-time using a Bluetooth sensor.
These finalists, in no particular order, included Cameron Sharma, an eighth-grader at George H Moody Middle School in Glen Allen, Va., who created uFlu, an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify personalized flu vaccines; and Krish Wadhwani, an eighth grader at DeSana Middle School in Alpharetta, Ga., who developed a medication that could
potentially cure Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative condition in the brain that currently has no known cure.
Since its inception, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in student prizes, paired students with world-renowned scientists to give them real-world insights and delivered much-needed science resources to millions of students, teachers and families across the country.
It targets students in the years when research indicates their interest in science begins to wane and encourages them to explore scientific concepts and creatively communicate their findings.
The annual premier competition recognizes scientific thinking and imagination in students grades 5-8 who dream up a solution to an everyday problem that ultimately could reshape and improve the way we live our lives.

Pyrus & Ritvi teenager bringing joy to people in need

Asian Media USAYouth 0

Chicago IL: Charitable donations and volunteering are the first things many people think of with regard to giving back to their communities. Giving back to your community is on most people’s to-do list, but it takes time and commitment. Ritvi Khurana from Burr Ridge ‘Pleasantdale Middle School’ in 7th grade and Pyrus kalra a junior from Conant high School in Schaumburg has donated over 150 toys and new clothes for the organization ‘Toy Box Connection’ running by Ms Michelle, a woman who has been voluntarily dedicated her precious time from last decade to bring smile for the people in need.

Pyrus & Ritvi also, volunteered helping hand there to sort the stuff according to age. Ritvi, was collecting her birthday gifts from past 4 years and never opened or used them. Her Mother is from India and provides helps to those living in underprivileged areas in India but when she asked Ritvi, to send toys to India. She said ‘Charity begins from home and Chicago is our home’ she said i gain two things, a joy from giving so many kids happiness with the toys and a greater respect for the things that I have. Her love for USA and her city is much appreciated.

Pyrus Kalra devotes community hours in other charities as well! Pyrus Kalra parents Karl Karla and Sonia Karla educate youngster that “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving and we make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give”.

There is a world of children that do not have toys or books; with your help we can change that. Toy Box Connection (TBC) will be the connection between families and businesses that have new or used toys / books to donate then we will directly connect those toys / books to the children that need them. Our organization is the missing link in communities. We are simply the jumper cables connecting those that have with those that need. Our primary goal is to touch the life of a child through the gift of a toy/book as well as a day of fun every chance we get. Need has no season so we will connect toys, books, many other needed items as well as provide days of fun throughout the entire year.

Youth at World Hindu Conference take initiatives on politics, media, education, and entrepreneurship

Staff ReporterCulture/Religion, Youth 0

The Hindu Youth Conference, held as part of the World Hindu Congress 2018 in Chicago, was attended by nearly 300 young Hindus from across five different continents With the theme “Rise, Organize, Lead, Emerge,” the conference focused on the pivotal role the up-and-coming generation of Hindus can play in the fields of media, politics, activism and entrepreneurship where Hindus are traditionally underrepresented.

One of the important issues that was explored was, “Strengthening Hindu Identity.”  As speaker Murali Magesan of New Zealand put it, “We see the vast achievements of Hindu society and would expect that people would identify as Hindu very proudly.  But, it’s not happening… so we must ask, ‘why?”

As the conference would elaborate, “not knowing” how to represent Hindu dharma has led to voices outside the community speaking for our traditions and in the process misrepresenting them at times.  The goal before the current generation of young Hindus is to build a positive, modern vision of Hindu identity and present this vision confidently in all walks of life.  The conference took this mission as a motivating call to action and developed several key projects that would address this goal.  Speakers emphasized individual action as a requisite for the change envisaged by the Congress.  As National Hindu Students Forum President Drishti Mae of the UK noted, “If not you, then who?”

While the first session of the Hindu Youth Conference stated this central challenge and presented the personal journeys of three young Hindu leaders in tackling it, other sessions explored the unique contributions Hindu dharma can make to several fields and the need for Hindus to speak out in these sectors.  The final session was a workshop to build structured plans to pursue the opportunities afforded by each specialized area.

Attendees heard from Gopal Patel of the Bhumi Project, an environmental activist, who explained his method of working with other communities in international bodies like the United Nations in communicating the inherent earth-caring ethic present in Hindu dharma.   Nihar Sashittal, a community activist in the California textbook case, spoke about strategies to force change in the public space.  A presentation by Nikki Avalokitesvari of Bali underlined the relevance of Hindu knowledge in the modern context citing Chanakya’s theories in global defense.  A project workshopped from this session was a Global Mentorship Program that will help young Hindu women achieve their goals in various walks of life by giving them access to accomplished female mentors in those fields.

Delegates also heard from young entrepreneurs on the role Hindu dharma played in shaping their business strategies and vision for the economy.  Aditya Mishra of ZenPrivex spoke about blockchain as both a popular business model and an organizing principle that has many dharmic qualities, while Shobhit Mathur of Vision India Foundation presented his vision for a Hindu economy. Nisha Holla of Biomoneta Research spoke about how the innovation that pervades Hindu culture, such as in Panini’s grammar, can be translated to entrepreneurship.  They underlined the growing need for more young Hindus to be job creators in order to support the economic needs of the global community while staying true to the tenets of Hindu dharma.  The organizing team has put into place the Young Hindu Business Network, a forum that brings young Hindu entrepreneurs together to network and share business know-how.

Since the focus of the Hindu Youth Conference was on re-owning the narrative of Hindu identity, an entire session was devoted to discussing media platforms, the very places where these narratives are created and disseminated.  The session was kicked off by Vinay Singhal, founder and CEO of WittyFeed, one of the fastest growing Internet media and viral content companies in the world.  Filmmaker Aditya Patwardhan spoke about how dharmic ideas—like classical music and cosmology—appeal to Western audiences and form the motifs of his films. Karolina Goswami shared examples of how she has personally fact-checked and corrected the record on what Hindu dharma stands for through her YouTube channel India in Details.

A panel discussion took the question of Hindu identity into the arena of politics and Hindu human rights.  While Mayuri Parmar of Conservative Friends of India in the UK and Himanshu Gulati, a Norwegian MP, affirmed the need to stand for your values as a Hindu in public life and to champion those values in service of the broader society, Devika Sital of Global Human Rights Defense addressed the need to publicly address the abuse of the human rights of Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan.  Sital will head the Hindu Human Rights Taskforce, a dedicated team of volunteers that aims to leverage youth power in social media to publicize the plight of localized Hindu communities and seek justice for them.  Mayuri Parmar led a workshop on how young Hindus can better engage at the level of local politics. She also plans to run a Global Mentorship Program for those interested in careers in public service that will allow these young Hindus to shadow politicians and learn the skills needed for the job firsthand.

The youth delegates that came to Chicago left inspired, and ready to tackle the mission thrown up by the Hindu Youth Conference.  The positive mood and active engagement of the young delegates is indeed strong evidence of a vibrant future for Hindu society worldwide.

(The article is written by Parth Parihar, national president of Hindu Students Council and a graduate student at Princeton University.  He was the co-coordinator of the Hindu Youth Conference.)

Teen Shreya Ramachandran wins 2018 Gloria Barron Prize for Environment

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Shreya Ramachandran, 14, of California, has been chosen to receive The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes 2018, an award that celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from across the U.S. and Canada. Ramachandran is the founder of The Grey Water Project.

Established in 2001 by author T. A. Barron, the Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education.

Shreya Ramachandran founded the non-profit Grey Water Project to promote the safe reuse of grey water, along with water conservation, as a way to address drought. Her outreach includes curriculum for elementary students and a partnership with the United Nations’ Global Wastewater Initiative. The Grey Water Project, a non-profit that promotes the safe reuse of grey water and water conservation, as a way to address drought.

Shreya works tirelessly to educate others about grey water – the gently used water from household sinks, showers, and laundry – and to remove the stigma that it is unclean and unusable, the Barron Prize said.

She has learned the California Plumbing Code and conducts seminars to show others how easy it is to build “laundry to lawn” grey water systems using organic detergents such as soap nuts. Soap nuts are a natural berry shell that release soap when placed in water. They are cost effective as a laundry detergent and are readily available around the world, it added.

Ramachandran began her work with painstaking research on the environmental safety of soap nut grey water, concluding after three years that it doesn’t harm soil, plants, or aquatic life. She is now collaborating with several California water agencies to promote grey water reuse, the organization said.

She has earned numerous awards for her work, including the President’s Environmental Youth Award, and was invited to partner with the United Nations’ Global Wastewater Initiative, it added.

She is currently developing a grey water curriculum for elementary students to teach water conservation and the idea that small actions can make a huge difference. “I’ve learned that even though I am young, I can make a positive impact in my community,” said the teen. “If I want to change something, I have to go out and make that difference instead of waiting for someone to do it for me.”

Since its inception, the Barron Prize has honored nearly 450 young heroes and has won the support of Girl Scouts of the USA, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, and the National Youth Leadership Council, among other organizations.  The Barron Prize welcomes applications from young people residing in the U.S. and Canada.  The online application system for 2019 opens January 7th and the deadline for entries is April 15th.   For more information, please visit www.barronprize.org.

In addition, T. A. Barron is running a year-long #SparkGoodness social media campaign to recognize everyday acts of goodness. Through October, anyone sharing their good deeds and acts of positivity at www.sparkgoodness.com is eligible to win one of several monthly prizes. At the end of 2018, a Grand Prize winner will be selected from all the winning entries throughout the year.

Aneesh Chaganty, 26, is the latest worldwide sensation

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Aneesh Chaganty is no stranger to unconventional storytelling. The 26-yr-old Asian filmmaker has taken the global box office by storm. Before he got his dream job making commercials for Google and before his first feature film took home the top audience award at Sundance, there was “Nug.”

“I cannot believe…” Chaganty said by phone during a day of press for “Searching,” his directorial debut. “I want to tell every one of my high school friends when I made that: ‘Who would’ve thought I would be talking about ‘Nug’ now?’”

The 5-minute short film – his first short film ever shown publicly – tells the story of a gun entirely in reverse. It took home his high school film festival’s award for Best Short Film (he still has the award on his desk) and the 11-year-old video currently sits at less than 2,000 views on YouTube. But while Chaganty admits the details of the plot are confusing, for “Nug” to exist as part of his origin as a filmmaker makes sense.

Indo-American filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty, whose roots are in Hyderabad. Chaganty worked for a couple of years at Google before gravitating to full-time filmmaking.

His stunning directorial debut, “Searching”, is set in the cyber universe where a distraught father attempts to locate his missing daughter.

Interestingly, Chaganty, who grew up on a staple diet of Bollywood and Hollywood films, pitched “Searching” to the studios as an eight-minute short film. The producers suggested Chaganty turn it into a full-length feature film. The director initially declined the offer, arguing that he didn’t want to stretch a good idea beyond a point.

However, Chaganty did finally make “Searching” as a feature film. Released on August 24, the film, made on a shoestring budget with Korean star John Cho in the lead, has already established Chaganty as a filmmaker to reckon with. The ultimate compliment for this small-budgeted blockbuster came from the “Crazy Rich Asians” crew when they booked an entire theatre to watch the film.

The young filmmaker names Manoj Night Shyamalan as his main influence. No doubt Chaganty’s thriller-noire approach to cinema makes him the new “Night” among Indo-American filmmakers. I fervently hope Chaganty’s career doesn’t follow Shyamalan’s trajectory.

The California native, who credits his love for film to his parents, first gained attention in 2014 with the ambitious short film “Seeds.” The video, which was shot entirely on Google Glass and contains no dialogue, chronicles one man’s journey to deliver an envelope containing life-changing news across the globe.

FETNA’s 31st national convention in Texas focuses on heritage, women and youth

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Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (http://www.fetna.org) an umbrella organization of more than 50 Tamil associations across North America held between June 29th – July 1st at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, TX, focused onHeritage, Youth & Women.

“The focus of the convention was multifold, and it also included an exclusive one-day entrepreneur conference and two days of Tamil heritage programs,” said Sriram Krishnan, one of the organizers. An estimated 5,000 people from all over the U.S. and some from abroad gathered in Frisco, Texas to reconnect to their roots, their culture and their tradition during the 31st National Tamil Convention.

The convention, among other things, celebrated the culmination of global efforts to raise US$ 6 MM to setup a Tamil Chair at Harvard University. Tamil language is one of the oldest classical languages of the world and the only Indian language to be recognized as an official and/or minority language in countries like Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Canada, Mauritius and South Africa. The founders and directors of Harvard Tamil Chair as well as several key volunteers were recognized. The 2018 convention also witnessed the resurrection of youth competitions and introduction of several new competitions.

FETNA’s 31st national convention in Texas focuses on heritage, women and youthThe convention also celebrated the 120th birthday of Thilliayadi Valliammai, the first woman from the Indian diaspora who worked with Mahatma Gandhi and gave her life for liberty and freedom in South Africa. It also celebrated Than Thai Selva, a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician who is considered a father figure among Sri Lankan Tamils.

The entrepreneur and business conference comprised of a Tamil Entrepreneurship Forum (TEF) that was attended by about 1,200 people. As many as 30 world-class business leaders, CIOs, social entrepreneurs and community leaders spoke at the daylong event. It was keynoted by C.K. Kumaravel, the founder of Naturals, one of India’s top hair and beauty salons. Kumaravel shared with the audience how his venture into uncharted territory led to success. Other speakers included Senthamarai Prabhakar, president of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America; Lakshmanan Chidambaram, president of Tech Mahindra’s Americas Strategic Verticals; Muru Murugappan CIO of BNSF, a Berkshire Hathaway Company; Ganesh Radhakrishnan CEO of Wharfedale Technologies; Prashanth Ram, founder and CTO of Gold Coast IT Solutions, and Latha Pandiarajan, cofounder of MaFoi Consultants.

Arul Murugan of 11-11 Ventures awarded $5,000 in prize money to the winners of TEF Junior, a VC pitch contest for students 16 and younger. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthy (D-Ill.) delivered the closing address of the business conference, urging greater involvement in civic matters.

FETNA’s 31st national convention in Texas focuses on heritage, women and youthLena Kannappan, COO and head of Cloud IAM business for 8KMiles, announced the launching of the Dallas Chapter of American Tamil Entrepreneurs Association (ATEA). A serial entrepreneur with 24 years of software industry experience, Kannappan was instrumental in starting the TEF talk in such gatherings a few years ago to promote entrepreneurship spirit among Tamil entrepreneurs and to inspire the young generation.

One of the highlights of the convention was the recreation of the Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara Temple, constructed some 1,000 years ago by one of the greatest emperors of India, Raja Cholan. The location is a UNESCO heritage site. Several hundred volunteers worked for nearly nine months to recreate the temple that was the center of attraction at the convention.

The festivities included motivational speeches and discourses including one from the chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology, G. Viswanathan. A global Tamil hour program included participation by Tamil scholars. It also had performances by Narthagi Natarajan, award-winning play troupe Manal Magudi and Tamil Isai by Sanjay Subrahmanyan.

FETNA’s 31st national convention in Texas focuses on heritage, women and youthThe convention was conducted under the auspices of Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) and organized by Metroplex Tamil Sangam, Dallas which celebrated its 50th year. The cultural programs at the convention included Mangala Isai, the traditional

Nadaswara performance, followed by Tamil Thai Vazhthu, American National Anthem and a mega Broadway style dance recital by nearly 150 children, trained under renowned Bharatanatyam exponent Narthagi Natarajan. There were also performances involving traditional Tamil art forms – Pambai, Parai, Silambam, Karagam, Gummi – and a discussion on Tamil heritage. There was also a light music performance by singer Karthik, drummer Sivamani and Shaktisree Gopalan.

Nearly 40 parallel sessions were held on a wide range of topics,including Thurumular Pranayama, art workshops, a science fair, continuing medical education and medical symposium, and Tamil Isai, a movement that promotes pure form of ancient Tamil music.

Ministry External Affairs, Govt. of India announces the Know India Programs (KIPs) on Self Financing Basis

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Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India has been organizing Know India Programmes (KIPs) for the Indian Diaspora youth who have never visited India before. The purpose of conducting KIP is to engage and make the students and young professionals of Indian Diaspora feel a sense of connect with their ancestral roots, to be motivated and inspired by the transformational changes taking place in India and to give them an exposure to various facets of contemporary India’s forms of art, heritage and culture.

Since the current KIP allows participation of young Diaspora representing 3rd generation onwards who have never visited India before and in view of the growing popularity of KIPs, Ministry has been receiving requests from various Indian Associations for organisation of KIPs with no such conditions attached to enable more PIO Diaspora youth to be part of KIP.

In order to meet the aspirations of the Diaspora community, it has been decided to arrange a Know India Programme on Self Financing Basis on the following terms: i) The KIP will be available to PIO/OCI card holders in the age group 18-35 years irrespective of their generation and previous visits to India. ii) The Programme will be organised by the same Event Management Company (EMC) that is approved for the regular KIPs and at the same rates and conditions.

The participants will have to bear the total cost of international and domestic travel, boarding and lodging, management fee of the EMC, international medical insurance, etc. iii) Air-tickets to/ from India and international medical insurance will be purchased directly by the participants. The logistic arrangements in India will be made by the EMC on payment basis and the money will be payable directly by the participants to the EMC. iv) Ministry will identify one or two state(s) to be visited by the participants, draw a structured programme schedule in coordination with the EMC and coordinate with the organisations concerned for waiver of entrance fee to various historic sites. v) Other conditions like provision of gratis visa by the Mission, orientation programme at FSI, deployment of a liaison officer with the KIP group, etc. will remain the same as for a regular KIP.

 The portal www.kip.gov.in enables Indian-origin youth to apply online for KIP programmes. In the Application Form, the applicant should indicate his preference for each KIP, in the order or priority. Ministry will attempt to allot the first preference of each applicant to the extent possible. For more details please visit www.kip.gov.in

10,000 youth attend BAPS Convention, learning about role of spirituality in daily life

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Over 10,000 children and youth between the ages of 8 to 22 were split into three groups and participated in three-day programs from July 1 to 10 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The 10-day event, unprecedented in the history of Hindus in North America was built around Moksha as life’s greatest pursuit that generates unwavering happiness to be experienced here and now.

According to BAPS, the 10-day event was “unprecedented” in the history of Hindus in North America. And it was built around the theme of “Moksha Now” (ultimate liberation) as life’s greatest pursuit. This broad theme led to a social conversation around “Moksha Now”, a theme that carried throughout the convention.

It was more than two years ago that volunteers of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, around the country began canvassing Hindu youth to learn about their likes, dislikes, desires, challenges and ambitions. Those surveys were distilled into the template for the 10-day BAPS North American Youth Convention 2018.

Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS for short, is a ubiquitous presence in the lives of many Hindu families and their children in the United States since it began its ministry in this country in 1971 under the leadership of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is now succeeded by Mahant Swami Maharaj, the sixth spiritual head of the global organization.

The delegates learned that the means to achieve Moksha could also allow them to enjoy the world, especially when every task and activity undertaken focuses on keeping God and the Guru in mind. The comprehensive concept of Moksha was taught by explaining the efforts and context of Dharma (roles and responsibilities), Artha (worldly pursuits), and Kaam (desires).

Speeches and presentations by senior swamis from India, Sadguru Pujya Ishwarcharandas Swami and Pujya Anandswarupdas Swami, as well as many others from across North America, simplified how to make Moksha-centered decisions in everyday living. They explained that living life with the goal to attain moksha leads to an elevated experience of daily interactions and an unfailingly optimistic perspective of life and the world around us.

Delegates experienced a grand multi-faceted stage program where the life and challenges of several characters were portrayed creatively and practically as they navigated everyday scenarios that brought out dilemmas of desires versus values. Instead of looking for instant gratification, the young adults were asked to contemplate various perspectives that could lead to a higher way of life.

“We had taken two years to delve into this concept of Moksha, and had to present in two days, what we had learnt ,” said Akhil Patel, 33, event-lead who has been involved in previous youth conventions of 2004, 2007, and 2013, and was part of the logistics planning for this one, involved with the content and guidance for the grade school and college level youth.

Speeches and presentations by senior swamis from India, as well as many others from across North America, dwelt on how to make Moksha-centered decisions in everyday living. “Attendees took home a message of how to be less concerned about what others think of them, and more concerned about what they think of themselves,” organizers contended.

Today, BAPS has a network of more than 3,850 centers around the world, and according to its website, has a million or more followers. This Hindu organization was established in 1907 in India, and today has a global reach. The North American chapter of BAPS describes itself as a “socio-spiritual Hindu organization” rooted  in the Vedas, and “founded on the pillars of practical spirituality.”

Hinduism, or Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Way), is the world’s oldest living religion. It is a richly diverse family of philosophies, traditions, and practices that have been followed primarily throughout Asia for thousands of years. Today, Hinduism is a global religion with adherents living on every continent, and comprising majorities in three countries: India, Nepal, and Mauritius.

Children in India exhibit religious tolerance, study finds

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A new investigation of how children reason about religious rules reveals a remarkable level of acceptance of different religions’ rules and practices.
The study, appearing in the June 13 online editionof Child Development, found that both Hindu and Muslim children in India thought that Hindu children should follow Hindu norms and Muslim children should follow Muslim norms.
“Even in a region with a long history of high religious tension, we see impressive levels of religious tolerance among children,” said study co-author Audun Dahl, assistant professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz. “Children think that people in different religions should follow their own norms—and that’s a starting point, a reason for optimism.”
Very little research has been done on how children reason about religious norms, despite the fact that differences between religious norms underpin conflicts around the globe, including Catholic/Protestant clashes in Europe and differences among Sunni and Shia Muslims, noted Dahl. Religious norms dictate practices from clothing and land ownership to reproduction, he said, with adult adherents frequently wanting others to adhere to their norms.
“Children expressed preferences for their own religion, but we found no evidence of children rejecting the norms of the other religion,” said Dahl, adding that such tolerance is the first step toward greater harmony.
Exploring religious tolerance
Dahl and coauthors Mahesh Srinivasan at UC Berkeley and Elizabeth Kaplan at Syracuse University wanted to see if children would extend their thinking about their own religious norms to other groups. In other words, would Hindu children think that all children should follow Hindu norms? And would Muslim children believe that all children should follow Muslim norms?
“As it turned out, both Hindu and Muslim children thought that the norms of a religion applied only to followers of that religion. For instance, almost no participants thought Muslim kids should follow Hindu norms, but at least half thought Muslim kids should follow Muslim norms,” said Dahl. Rather than applying their own religious norms to all others, children endorsed the right of each religion to have its own religious norms.
The study took place in Gujarat, India, a region with a history of Hindu-Muslim violence. Investigators worked with 100 children ages 9 to 15, focusing on different Hindu norms, such as the prohibition against eating beef, and Muslim norms, such as the prohibition against worshipping an idol. They also asked the children about hitting people to explore the youngsters’ reasoning around moral norms.
“The tendency to restrict the norms of one’s own religion only to followers of that religion, and to expect members of another religious group to follow their own customs, may contribute to peaceful coexistence,” said Dahl.
Religious norms as distinct from other social norms
The researchers also asked children about moral norms about how to treat others. Fully 95 percent of children—regardless of religion—asserted that it’s not okay to hit people. Perhaps more surprisingly, most children thought it was wrong to hit someone even if hitting was permitted by religious authorities or a god. Dahl said this speaks to the difference between religious norms and moral norms.
Yet, children also viewed religious norms as different from social conventions or personal preferences. “Religious beliefs are about truth and falsehood. They are about which god, or gods, exist, and which gods are right,” he said. “They don’t lend themselves to pluralism as easily as personal preferences or social conventions do.”
Most religious people believe their god is the true god, so the researchers thought there was a good chance that Hindu children, for example, would think that Muslim children—as well as Hindu children—should follow Hindu norms.
“In the Hindu religion, the cow is a holy animal, so you could expect Hindu children to say it is wrong for anyone to kill and eat cows,” said Dahl. “But that’s not what we found. Most Hindu children thought Muslims could eat beef, and should follow Muslim rather than Hindu norms.”
Dahl and Srinivasan plan to further explore how children integrate religious norms as distinct from social norms regarding what’s right and wrong, including hitting others. “Religions often aren’t explicit about the scope of their norms and whether they apply to non-followers, so there’s a question about how children apply the fundamental concepts to actual, complicated scenarios of real life,” Dahl said. “It’s fascinating.”
These findings offer hope that exposure to conflicts over religious differences, like those experienced by children in many regions of the world, need not lead children to develop negative attitudes toward the religious practices of other groups. “Rather, perhaps these levels of understanding will play a role in reducing conflict over time,” said Dahl.

Indian students develop ‘lightest’ satellite, to be launched by NASA

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Four students from India have developed what could be the world’s lightest satellite which will be launched from a NASA facility in the US by August.
The first-year engineering students from Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science near Chennai built the 4cm ‘cube’ satellite ‘Jaihind-1S’ with a 3D printed outer casing from polylactic acid (PLA) nylon material, making it lighter than a medium sized egg, at just 33.39 grams.

KJ Harikrishnan, P Amarnath, G Sudhi and T Giri Prasad, students of Hindustan Institute of Technology, have developed a 4cm cube satellite that weighs 33.39grams. The satellite has been designed and fabricated for the ‘Cubes in Space’ competition conducted by Colorado Space Grant consortium, NASA and idoodle-learning. It will be flown on a scientific balloon up to an altitude of 70km.

The previous lightweight satellite developed by Rifath Sharook, also from Tamil Nadu, and launched in the same competition in 2017 had weighed 64 grams. “We designed the satellite to conduct three experiments – measure 20 weather parameters, test the nylon material in microgravity and track the trajectory while it is being flown. What makes the satellite unique is that all three experiments will be conducted at the same time,” said K J Harikrishan, one of the team members. “It cost us ?15,000, so it is also the cheapest satellite,” he added.

Harikrishan worked with his three teammates P Amarnath, G Sudhi and T Giri Prasad for two weeks to assemble the satellite and feed in the program.  As the balloon flies to an altitude of about 70km, the sensor modules in the satellite will begin measuring parameters like temperature, humidity, pressure and UV ray intensity as well as the movement and the trajectory of the balloon. The sensors will send the data to an onboard SD card through a microcontroller. Once the balloon reaches the desired altitude, the satellite will disengage from the balloon and fall. It will then be collected for data retrieval while the durability of the nylon material will also be assessed.

“The satellite has sensor modules that are programmed to measure and record four different parameters per second. So, we will get a large amount of data as the balloon flies to an altitude of 70km for almost a day,” the student said.

Professor G Dinesh Kumar, who was the faculty advisor, said the team improved the efficiency of the satellite by reducing its weight and opting for sensor modules that can measure more than one parameter at a time. “We tested the satellite up to a height of 40 feet. We will be sending it to the US later this week,” the professor said.

Samir Shah, 16, Saar Shah, 15, win national title by raising $400,000 for blood cancer research

Ajay GhoshCommunity, Health, Profiles, Youth 0

Samir Shah, 16, Saar Shah, 15,  two Indian American kids have raised over $413,000 in a seven-week campaign for blood cancer research, helping them win the national title of Students of the Year. Beating out a team from Atlanta that raised $350,000, the Shahs’ campaign received more than 800 donations ranging from $2 to $100,000.

The team of the Samir and Saar, Fly4aCure, was the first from Southern Maryland ever to participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s fundraising campaign. Samir Shah goes to The Calverton School, and Saar Shah attends Great Mills High School. Claire Broadhead, a Leonardtown High School student and a leukemia survivor, was the student ambassador for the campaign.

“We owe it to our community,” Samir Shah said of their campaign’s success. “I think the key factor to us being able to do what we did is our community and the connections we had to a lot of people.” “We were both very surprised by the amount of support we were shown,” Saar Shah said. “We were not really expecting the outpouring of support we got.”

“We began working with the LLS in 2010 when our cousin Ami was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, my father, Amish, was diagnosed with B Cell Lymphoma. At that time, I was only 12 and my sister Neelam, 10,” Samir said. “We didn’t understand the significance then but now we have a better understanding of what the LLS has done to provide greater research for new innovative treatments. It has helped our family during our struggle,” he added.

For the two teenagers, raising awareness and money for blood cancer research has been a cause dear to their hearts. Samir Shah’s father, Dr. Amish Shah, was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2014. A cousin of Saar Shah battled with leukemia for eight years ago. Both were treated and made full recoveries.

The Shah family has been struck with blood cancers twice in the past few years. Their cousin, Ami, battled a deadly blood cancer, acute myeloid leukemia and she is now seven years cancer free. More recently, Samir’s dad, Amish, was diagnosed with primary mediastinal b-cell lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and celebrates his incredible recovery.

Samir Shah recalled that the campaign reached out to someone who was diagnosed with a form of leukemia, but his family preferred not to talk about it as the treatment was still going on. The family later changed their minds, attended the ceremony and said that “they had hope that there’s a cure,” Samir Shah said.

“We know firsthand how important cutting-edge research and treatments are in the fight against cancer,” said Samir Shah. “We’re honored to be named this year’s Students of the Year, and we’re grateful to have had this opportunity to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization that helped our family in our time of need.”

The funds raised through Students of the Year are used for: Research to advance lifesaving therapies like immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine, which are saving lives today; Free blood cancer information, education and support for patients and families; National and local advocacy efforts driving policies that accelerate new treatments and ensure patients have access to care so that they can live longer, healthier lives.

According to LLS, blood cancers, on average, account for more than 10 percent of all new cancer cases diagnosed each year—and they’re the third leading cancer killer in the country, says thebaynet.com. LLS is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer research. While there is no way to prevent blood cancers, LLS is dedicated to finding a cure by relying on donations to fund research projects.

The teenagers said the smallest donation of $2 came from fellow students from Samir Shah’s private high school in Huntingtown.MD. Saar Shah said most donations were generally small, ranging from $25 to $100. Three fifth-graders at Calverton — Sara Chehy, Katie Mathers and Devin McClanahan — participated in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients fundraising program and raised $3,804, according to the Shah family.

The largest donation of $100,000 came from The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. “American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the most dynamic and ethnic organization representing more than 100,000 physicians of Indian origin, while officially launching a campaign against Leukemia and Lymphomas, is pleased to have donated $100,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America on March 10th,” declared Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of AAPI. “AAPI has taken on yet another cause to promote through its active support in educating people about the deadly disease around the world,” Samadder said.

“Continuing with supporting noble causes, AAPI, has taken on yet another cause to promote through its active support in educating people about the deadly disease around the world,” Dr. Vinod Shah, a past president of AAPI, and a well known philanthropist, said. Dr. Shah told this writer, “How proud I am to be part of this noble initiative of these two young children, who are so totally committed to the cause.” Dr. Vinod Shah had matched a$50,000 gift from AAPI, doubling the donation.

 “Coming from a nation that has given much to the world, today physicians of Indian origin have become a powerful influence in medicine across the world. It’s truly inspiring that these two young children have been leading the fund raising efforts for this noble cause, benefitting thousands of people affected by blood cancer,” said Dr. Naresh Parikh, President-Elect of AAPI.

Among the Shah family, Samir said there are about 22 doctors practicing in Southern Maryland, and they have been heavily involved with the organization over the years.  Samir Shah’s parents are both physicians in St. Mary’s, and by their estimate, there have been more than 500 active blood cancer patients diagnosed in the past two years in the tri-county area. In Amish Shah’s practice at MedStar Shah Medical Group alone, there were 400 active blood cancer patients in the past two years, the doctor said in a February interview.

Throughout the campaign, what moved Saar Shah the most was the recognition ceremony designed for those affected by blood cancer during a kite festival, hosted by their team at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds on March 17 that drew about 1,200 people. “Seeing all those names and hearing about a number of peoples’ stories, it really does seem everybody has some kind of connection to blood cancer in some way,” Saar Shah said.

The two teenagers said they plan to continue to host the kite festival around March every year. They also plan to sit on the nonprofit’s leadership council next year to help guide the new crop of students participating in the campaign. They said the advice they would give to future participants is to get the community involved with a variety of events and to start planning early.

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Urvashi Rautela crowned Youngest Most Beautiful Woman in the Universe

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Urvashi Rautela, who earlier won the title of Miss Diva 2015, ventured into Bollywood with Singh Saab The Great. The actress recently gained recognition for her dance number ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’ in Hate Story 4. And now, Urvashi Rautela has added another feather up her sleeve.

Urvashi Rautela, who holds the record of winning the highest number of beauty pageants has now been awarded the title of ‘Youngest Most Beautiful Woman’ in the Universe 2018 by the government & tourism of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Urvashi Rautela, the sizzling sensation of Tinseltown is slowly raising the bar with her recent line up of work. The actress gained immense recognition for her dance number “Aashiq Banaya Aapne” in “Hate Story 4.”

Already winning accolades for her performances, the actress has added another feather up her sleeve! To further commemorate the actress for her beauty, the Government of Andaman & Nicobar Islands will also have a flower named after her. Here’s wishing the actress all the success!

While her Bollywood work commitments are yet to be announced, Urvashi Rautela is busy exploring the social media platforms. From going live to speak to her fans to posting pictures and videos of her weekend plans etc., the actress loves to keep all of them updated.

Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz (BKJQ)

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The Government of India will launch Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz (Know India Quiz) from July 19-21, 2018 to generate interest among youth, both Non-Resident Indians (NRI) as well as Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), to know and understand India. Registration on the portalhttps://www.bharatkojaniye.in/ is mandatory for the eligible contestant to participate in the Quiz.

This Quiz will be held online for the two distinct categories of PIO & NRI aged 15 to 35 years and will be conducted in 04 rounds. In the first round, there will be 30 questions to be selected randomly by the computer to be answered in 25 minutes. There is no negative marking. The First round of the Quiz will be conducted online by the Consulate. The Second round of the Quiz will be conducted online by Ministry of External Affairs. The Third and Fourth rounds (Semi Final & Final round) will be conducted in New Delhi.

Three finalists from each of the NRI and PIO/OCI category in the first round conducted will move to the subsequent rounds. All participants who make it to the Third and Fourth round will be invited to India. Besides the Quiz, they will participate in 15-day tour of India. Top three winners of the Fourth (final) round of BKJ Quiz 2019 from each category of NRI & PIO will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and a Certificate at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) Convention, 2019.

Indian American Family Donation Establishes ‘Gangal Family Endowed Scholarship Fund’ at Florida Atlantic University

Staff ReporterEducation, Youth 0

Florida Atlantic University May 24 announced that its College of Engineering and Computer Science has received a $500,000 gift from the Gangal family’s nonprofit foundation to establish an endowed scholarship fund for engineering graduate students with an emphasis on bioengineering research.

The “Gangal Family Endowed Scholarship Fund” will support talented students as they prepare for professional careers in STEM, the university noted in a news report.

“There is a tremendous need to fill an increasing number of available jobs in engineering and high technology fields,” said Stella N. Batalama, dean of FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, in a statement.

“This most generous gift we have received to establish the ‘Gangal Family Endowed Scholarship Fund’ will help us to develop a robust talent pipeline in this region and beyond to meet the needs of 21st century economy, where STEM-related jobs will be in high demand.”

Shiva and Sneh Lata Gangal established their nonprofit foundation in 2014 in Coconut Creek. Indian American entrepreneur Shiva Gangal served as CEO of Tri State Engineering & Management Company from 1983 to 2001, an engineering design and construction company in West Virginia. He received his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in 1957.

Sneh Lata Gangal also served as secretary and treasurer of Tri State Engineering & Management Company from 1983 to 2001 and received her B.S. degree from Agra University. Their daughter, Anjali Gangal, is vice president of Branch Banking & Trust Co., operating two banking branches in Fort Lauderdale.

“We are very excited to partner with FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science to support their talented students as well as their innovative research and engineering programs,” said Shiva Gangal in the university report. “In an increasingly complex world, we must ensure that Florida and the United States will be able to provide our STEM workforce and leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to help solve challenging problems that impact us globally.”

FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science offers 21 degree programs on the Boca Raton campus. Master’s degree programs include bioengineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and ocean engineering.

The college’s doctorate programs include computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and ocean engineering. In addition, the college offers special master’s degree offerings including an M.S. in information technology and management; an M.S. in civil engineering with a minor in business; an M.S. in computer engineering and computer science with a minor in business; an M.S. in mechanical engineering with a minor in business; and an M.S. in ocean engineering with a minor in business, according to the university.

Venkat Ranjan wins National Geographic Bee Indian Americans Sweep Top Three Prizes

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Indian American wiz-kids dominated this year’s National Geographic Spelling Bee held in Washington, D.C., on May 23rd taking home the top three honors. An eighth-grader from California, Venkat Ranjan beat nine other finalists to take home the title at the 30th annual National Geographic Bee on May 23 by correctly answering “Paraguay.” The question was: Which South American country has a population size most similar to Lebanon?

That response edged him past Anoushka Buddhikot of New Jersey, who incorrectly answered Guyana. Vishal Sareddy, 14, of Suwanee, Georgia, an eighth-grader at Riverwatch Middle School.

As the national champ, Ranjan will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll. Buddhikot an eighth-grader at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School in New Jersey, the second place winner, will receive $25,000 college scholarship. Vishal Sareddy, the third place winner will take home a $10,000 college scholarship.

This year, apart from the top three winners, five Indian-Americans were among the Top 10 finalists. Other championship finalists included Indian and South Asian Americans Nihar Janga, 13, of Houston; Gayatri Kaimal, 13, of Arizona; Atreya Mallanna, 11, of Massachusetts; Saket Pochiraju, 13, of Ohio; and Ashwin Sivakumar, 13, of Oregon. Sean Cheng, 14, of New Hampshire, and 14-year-old Jonathan Song of North Carolina.

Ranjan, who has been competing in the bee since 2015, also enjoys playing piano, the National Geographic reported. Buddhikot also enjoys reading and playing the violin and hopes to one day write a novel about a National Geographic-style explorer.

In recent past, Indian American kids have been taking home the top honors at this prestigious national contest.  Last year, Pranay Varada of Irving, Texas, won the title, after finishing at sixth place the previous year.

Nearly 2.6 million students in the fourth through eighth grades competed in more than 10,000 schools across the country on their knowledge of geography and world affairs in this year’s 30th bee hosted by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca. The contestants were competing for a total of $85,000 in college scholarships. Students had to answer such questions as whether a map of the U.S. shows homelessness or the literacy rate, the range of the black bear or a pon-derosa pine, and ferry boardings versus minimum wage.

In a test of their analytical and communication skills, contestants were asked to choose one of three rivers as the best choice to focus a plastic cleanup effort to reduce the amount of waste going into the ocean. All three finalists chose China’s Yangtze River, explaining that the area’s high population and plastic consumption and limited collection and recycling infrastructure, made it the prime target.

During the competition, students had to answer such questions as whether a map of the U.S. shows homelessness or the literacy rate, the range of the black bear or a ponderosa pine, and ferry boardings versus minimum wage, National Geographic explained in a news release. Contestants were asked to name the U.S. state capital on the Pearl River, Sweden’s largest island, and the currency of Denmark, it added.

After stiff competition, 54 finalists rose to the top, representing winners of each state and overseas territories of the United States. The 54 competitors were reduced to 10 by May 23. Each of them will receive $500. Buddikot was among four girls out of the 54 finalists, with news reports and experts saying that schools and parents should do more to deal with the gender imbalance.

“All of you have demonstrated an impressive commitment to geography and maps, and today we’re rewarding that commitment,” National Geographic Society chair Jean Case told the audience at the event. At National Geographic, “we consider ourselves map geeks,” Case added. “But we understand geography is about so much more than just memorizing places on a map.”

Since the bee started, some 120 million students have participated with more than 90 scholarships doled out totaling $1.5 million to date. “The bee goes right to the heart of what we are all about here at National Geographic,” said Case. “We are about furthering understanding of the world and the people in it. We live in an ever-connected world.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle declared husband and wife

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Prince Harry and his actress bride Meghan Markle married on Saturday in a dazzling ceremony that blended ancient English ritual with African American culture, infusing the 1,000-year-old British monarchy with a blast of modernity.

In a medieval chapel at Windsor Castle that 39 English kings and queens have called home since 1066, Harry and Meghan exchanged vows watched up close by royals and celebrities, and from afar by a global TV audience of many millions.

Wearing a veil, diamond tiara and a sleek dress with a long train, the American actress was accompanied up the aisle of St George’s Chapel by Harry’s father, Prince Charles, before she and Harry exchanged vows and were proclaimed husband and wife.

The couple kissed on the steps of the 15th Century chapel, before delighting the sea of well-wishers, some of whom had camped for days to witness the spectacular show of British pomp and pageantry, by touring Windsor in a horse-drawn carriage.

Prince Harry’s vows at the wedding are as follows: “I Harry, take you, Meghan, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God, I make this vow.”

Among the guests were Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Serena Williams and Sir Elton John. India’s very own representative, Priyanka Chopra was at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. She made her first public appearance after arriving in London, donning a plaid suit from Alberta Ferretti. “I do think Meghan being a part of the royal family is a big step in the direction of so many things; of women, of feminism, of diversity, of race, of the monarchy versus everyone else. It’s a beautiful step in the right direction,” Priyanka Chopra had said earlier.

Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, became the sixteenth Royal Couple to celebrate their Marriage at Windsor Castle since 1863. The newly-wed royal couple had a tour of the city center of Windsor in a traditional horse-driven Ascot Landau carriage.

More than 100,000 fans cramped the narrow roads of Windsor, about 20 miles (30 km) west of London. Security was tight and visitors had to pass through police search points set up around the castle, home to 39 English monarchs since 1066.

Harry said he had never heard of his future wife or watched her TV series, and she said she knew nothing of the prince. But after just two dates, he whisked her off to Botswana for a holiday, camping under the stars. “The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned, everything was just perfect,” Harry said when their engagement was announced last November.

Harry’s gilded upbringing is in stark contrast with Markle’s. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and her parents divorced when she was six. After a number of minor roles in films and on TV, she won the role as Rachel Zane in “Suits”. She ran a successful lifestyle blog, thetig.com, and has worked as a humanitarian campaigner. In 2011, she married film producer Trevor Engelson but they divorced in 2013.

“We can break the barriers down, it can be done,” said 40-year-old black Briton Yvonne Emanuel, one of the 100,000-strong crowd that thronged Windsor’s streets. The ceremony was typical of royal weddings in many ways. The service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor while Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, declared the couple man and wife, beneath the banners of the knights of the Order of the Garter, the world’s oldest chivalric group dating back to 1348.

The British remain broadly supportive of the monarchy albeit with a sense of mild irony about the pomp and pageantry that accompanies it, though many have deep respect for Elizabeth, after her 66 years of service. Harry, along with brother William and his wife Kate, are at the forefront of an effort to modernize the monarchy by talking openly about their innermost feelings.

The union of Harry, a former royal wild child and sixth-in-line to the British throne, and 36-year-old Meghan, a divorcee whose mother is African-American and father is white, was like no other the royal family has seen before.

The newlyweds will also be officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after Queen Elizabeth bestowed those titles on them.

Preeta Bansal honored with APAICS Stewardship Award

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Indian American Preeta Bansal was honored with the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Stewardship Award at the organization’s 24th annual Awards Gala on Tuesday, May 15.

US Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) presented the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Stewardship Award to Bansal, whohad served as a General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to the federal Office of Management and Budget from 2009 until 2011. Bansal is currently the CEO of Social Emergence Corporation and she also teaches at the MIT Media Lab, where she is a Senior Advisor for Social Machines.

“I’m honored to present the APAICS Stewardship Award to Solicitor General Preeta Bansal for her leadership in public service, and for her efforts to empower communities,” said the New York Democrat. “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a time to honor and celebrate the achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Tonight, we recognize and celebrate Preeta for her immense contributions, and for her service and leadership to our community and the nation.”

APAICS Stewardship Award is presented annually to individuals who are leaders within AAPI communities in public service for their commitment to serve communities.

Prior to serving in the Obama administration, Bansal served as a law partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and as the Solicitor General of the State of New York during Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s first term. She also has been a member and past chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)

Bansal is originally from Nebraska, she received an A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1986 and a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1989.

She also served as a Supervising Editor of the Harvard Law Review and after graduating from Harvard Law School, she clerked for Chief Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1989 to 1990 and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens from 1990 to 1991.

After running her own private practice in Washington D.C., Bansal worked in the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 1996 as a Counselor in the U.S. Department of Justice and as a White House Special Counsel. Then in 1999, she was recruited to serve in the office of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as the Solicitor General of the State of New York after which Bansal was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Bansal is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She received the National Organization of Women’s “Woman of Power and Influence Award” in 2006 and was named one of the “50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal in its inaugural list in 2008.

In 2006, she was a co-chair for then-Attorney General-Elect Andrew Cuomo’s transition team, and previously served as a board member of the Clinton Global Initiative, the National Women’s Law Center and the New York City Bar Justice Center, and as a Commissioner on Mayor Bloomberg’s Election Modernization Task Force.

Dr. Babu Stephen, Ajay Ghosh among 7 honored with Excellence Award by NAMAM

Staff ReporterBusiness, Community, Education, Health, Science & Technology, Youth 0

A community activist & leader, a successful businessman, an industrialist, a scientist, a renowned musician, two young prodigies, an organ donor, and a journalist were honored at a colorful bi-annual NAMAM Excellence Award 2018 ceremony held at the Royal Albert Palace, Edison, New Jersey on April 28th, 2018.

What stood out at the long-awaited historic event was that among the 7 honorees, two are leaders of the Indo-American Press Club (IAPC). Dr. Babu Stephan, current Chairman, and Ajay Ghosh, founding President of IAPC, were the recipients of the NAMAM awards for their contributions and successes in the business and media world, respectively. IAPC, founded 6 years ao, has been serving as a platform to raise the voice of Indian Americans journalists in North America.

Dr. Stephen is the CEO of DC Healthcare Inc, and the president of SM Reality LLC in Washington, and has been politically well-connected in both Washington DC and Kerala. He has dabbled in media and having arrived in America almost 4 decades ago, and has been among the first generation of Indian community builders here. In his acceptance speech for the award for excellence in business, he recounted the Indian American community’s landmark achievements in all walks of life here – and we have only started!

Ajay Ghosh was chosen for his contributions in media. He has founded the Universal News Network (UNN), a news portal as chief editor, and has been associated with news publications including India Tribute, Indian Express (North American edition), NRI Today and Asian Era magazines. And since 2010, he has been the media consultant of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI).  In addition, he has taught Social Work Seminar and guided students at the Graduate School of Social Work at Fordham University in New York City since 2006 and works as a Primary Clinician at Yale New Haven Hospital, serving patients with behavioral health issues. Mr. Ghosh dedicated his award to the journalists of Indian origin, who work tirelessly to inform, educate and create awareness on issues that affect the peoples of the world.

Other awardees included, a world renowned community leader and activist, Dr. Thomas Abraham; T. S. Nandakumar, a renowned and versatile Carnatic music percussionist; Ramadas Pillai, President/CTO of Nuphoton Technologies, Inc; Rekha Nair, who has been an advocate for organ donation; Tiara Thankam Abraham, a 12-year-old soprano prodigy and a child genius; and, Child Genius Tanishq Mathew Abraham, a 14-year-old senior completing his biomedical engineering degree at Univ. Of California, Davis. He will be the youngest engineer to graduate in June 2018.

Dr. Thomas Abraham highlighted the need for bringing together the Indian Diaspora under the banner of GOPIO and how it has become a powerful force in raising our voices against discrimination and injustice. In her acceptance speech, Rekha Nair, who stunned the world by donating one of her kidneys at a young age to save the life of a woman she barely knew at the time last year, made an impassioned appeal for organ donation and blood donation.

Of the two siblings, Tanishq, 14-year-old senior (4th year) completing his biomedical engineering degree, could not come down from California, so his younger sister Tiara, 12, accepted the award on his behalf too. She also gave a performance and showed why she is considered a prodigy soprano.

NAMAM, or the North American Malayalees and Associated Members, founded by Madhavan B. Nair, has been honoring its best and brightest at biennial events. Madhavan Nair, in his welcome address, described it as, “an unforgettable evening as we honor extraordinarily accomplished individuals, who have made valuable contributions to the Indian-American community with the NAMAM Excellence Awards.”

The evening program was studded with dance and live music performances, both Indian classical and contemporary/Bollywood. Among the 350 attendees at the event were many prominent members of the community and guests from India.

Founded in 2010, NAMAM has been reaching out to the community with cultural programs, social gatherings and humanitarian aid efforts. Madhavan Nair summed up the essence of the awards nite and the goals of NAMAM: “It is our priority to pass a deep awareness about our rich heritage, unique customs and eclectic culture of Kerala to the younger generation in the USA, so that they can appreciate and take pride in their genealogy.”

AIA-NY hosts youth bowling event under “Desi Next” banner

Staff ReporterYouth 0

Over 100 people attended the Association of Indians in America, NY Chapter’s (AIA-NY) first bowling event on March 31, at AMF Syosset Lanes in Long Island, under its recently launched cultural exchange group called “Desi Next.”

Over the past few years, AIA-NY has been trying to bring the younger generation together by hosting events like the Intercollegiate Dance Competition called “Naach Inferno” and bringing in Neel Sethi, the child star of the Disney movie “The Jungle Book.”

“We have been trying to continue to expand and strengthen youth development programs and activities and have been working towards energizing our youths, while understanding their concerns,” said Gobind Munjal, the president of AIA-NY Chapter, in a statement, accompanying a press release.

“We try to give the young adults the autonomy to build their programs that suits and attracts the younger generation. Keeping this in mind, AIA-NY Chapter launched “Desi Next” in January 2017 to provide a platform for the younger generation where they can socialize, interact, address their issues and concerns and develop programs to suit their need,” he added.

Munjal said that AIA-NY hosted their first Desi Next event on Jan. 22, 2017 which attracted 150 people and they are planning on hosting other Desi Next events revolving around sports, family get-togethers and community outreach activities.

“We are soon going to have a membership drive for the young adults and we plan to add many new young members this year. We are encouraged by the tremendous success of this event and we are going to have many more such programs in the coming months,” said Munjal.

AIA-NY is planning on having a golf tournament and a family picnic under the Desi Next banner within the next few months.

Meanwhile, other upcoming AIA-NY programs include: Investment Seminar on May 17, 2018; Fundraiser event for Project India Charity Program on June 9, 2018, in Manhattan; Benefit Gala on Sept 15, 2018, for the 31st Deepavali festival; 31st Deepavali festival celebrations on Oct 7, 2018, at the iconic South Street Seaport in Manhattan, culminating with a spectacular display of fireworks; Children’s Deepavali in libraries around end of October 2018.

Akhil Kondepudi wins National Brain Bee Championship

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Akhil Kondepudi from St. Louis, Missouri, has won the Eleventh USA National Brain Bee Championship which was held at the University of Maryland in Baltimore from March 15 to 18.

Winners from 54 Chapter competitions in 37 states gathered to test their knowledge of the human brain.

The national competition tests high school students on a range of topics covering all aspects of neuroscience, including intelligence, emotions, memory, sleep, neurodegenerative diseases, schizophrenia, addictions and the senses.

The competition involved a neuroanatomy laboratory practical exam with real human brains, patient diagnosis with patient actors, neurohistology, brain MRI imaging identification and orals, and was sponsored by the Department of Neural and Pain Sciences of the University of Maryland’s School of Dentistry.

Kondepudi will represent the United States at the World Brain Bee Championship hosted by the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies in July. Besides a monetary prize Kondepudi was also given an 8-week internship in a neuroscience laboratory, a donation was given to the Disabled American Veterans as well.

Six other Indian Americans were among the top 10 winners: Hemanth Asirvatham of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sehej Bindra of Piscataway, New Jersey; Sneha Shinde of Rootstown, Ohio; Aayush Setty of Atlanta, Georgia; Lasya Kambhampati of Kansas City, Kansas; Veda Chanda of Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The USA Brain Bee is an Official Regional Brain Bee of the International Brain Bee which is lead by a Board of Directors from the Society for Neuroscience, the American Psychological Association, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, The International Brain Research Organization, and the Federation of European Neurosciences Societies.

Currently there are about 200 Brain Bee Chapters in about 50 countries in 6 continents. Each Chapter conducts a competition involving many high schools, those winners represent their cities at their respective National Championships and each National Champion is then invited to compete in the World Championship held every year in a different city.

The competition involved a neuroanatomy laboratory practical exam with real human brains, patient diagnosis with patient actors, neurohistology, brain MRI imaging identification and a question-and-answer session.

kondepudi, for taking the top prize, was awarded with $1,500 and an eight-week internship in a neuroscience lab, and will represent the U.S. at the World Brain Bee Championship in Berlin in July. Indian American Hemanth Asirvatham of Minneapolis, Minn., took second; and Sehej Bindra of Piscataway, N.J., took third and were awarded $1,000 and $500, respectively.

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai in first visit to Pak, urges for women’s empowerment

Ajay GhoshCommunity, Education, Youth 0

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai made her first visit to Pakistan on March 29th, 2018, since she was shot by Taliban militants in 2012 near her home in the northern Swat Valley. The 20-year-old became the first teenager to win the Nobel Peace Prize four years ago and is currently studying at the University of Oxford.

Soon after her arrival in her native country, Yousafzai met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the capital Islamabad. Local television showed the education activist leaving Islamabad airport in the early hours of the morning amid heavy security for what is expected to be a four-day visit.

Yousafzai gave an emotional, heartfelt speech on her return to her country of birth, where she is still under threat of violence. “I’m not very old but I’ve seen a lot,” she said following a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. “I couldn’t control what happened, if it was my choice I wouldn’t have left my country at all. I had no choice, I had to leave for my life.”

In a speech in which she often had to pause for tears, the activist hailed the fact “more than 6 million dollars” has been invested on education in Pakistan in recent years, adding she hoped “we all join hands for the betterment of Pakistan for our future, to empower our women so they can earn and stand on their own two feet.”

Abbasi said he was “so happy that our child who has earned so much fame internationally has come home. You represent us in the world and especially of the youth and girls and the work you’ve done for education of girls,” he said. “It is our dream and prayers that you are successful, our prayers with you. Welcome home Malala!”

“I have always dreamed of coming back to Pakistan — we need to empower women,” Yousafzai said in a speech in Islamabad with tears in her eyes. “If I wanted I would have never left my country, for further treatment I had to go out.”

At just 11, Malala began writing an anonymous diary for BBC Urdu about her life under Taliban rule. She later became a vocal advocate of female education amid militant suppression in Pakistan. While traveling to school by bus in October 2012, she was shot in the head in retaliation for her campaign for girls to be given equal education rights in the conservative country, defying threats from militants in her hometown of Mingora.

The bullet struck just above her left eye, grazing her brain, and Yousafzai was flown to the U.K. for emergency treatment. Malala’s shooting caused international outrage and came amid a bloody struggle between the Pakistani state and Islamist militants. The Pakistani Taliban said at the time that they shot her because she was “pro-West” and “promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas”.

Lauded internationally, Yousafzai gained global recognition after pledging to continue her struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. However, her return has received a mixed reaction in her home country. Many in the South Asian nation see her as part of a Western conspiracy against Pakistan.

Her return brings home the change that has occurred in Pakistan. The military in Pakistan has neutered some insurgent groups who target the country domestically and tourists are now returning to areas including picturesque Swat, which is known locally as the Switzerland of Pakistan.

Security in the country has greatly improved in recent years, with the number of attacks carried out by militants drastically reduced. Nevertheless it’s unclear if she will visit her home region in the Swat Valley, where her foundation recently opened a school for girls.

News of her arrival has been received enthusiastically here. But some Pakistanis have long been critics of Malala, favoring conspiracy theories claiming she is “a Western agent” or was actually shot by the CIA. For many others Pakistanis, though, Malala is a source of great pride, and now she’s finally come home.

Malala’s visit “gives the message that extremism can be challenged and defeated if one stands up against it,” said Farzana Bari, a human rights activist and former head of the Gender Studies department at Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University. “This will help promote peace and girls’ education in Pakistan as we still have large areas where girls and women are discriminated against,” she said.

Samhita Mukhopadhyay named Executive Editor of Teen Vogue

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Teen Vogue has named Samhita Mukhopadhyay as the executive editor of the popular world renowned journal. In this role, Mukhopadhyay will manage and oversee Teen Vogue’s editorial team and work closely on brand strategy, reporting to chief content officer Phillip Picardi.
“I have admired Samhita’s work from afar for quite some time. I deeply respect her ability to tackle complex topics and distill them in a sensible way for a young, engaged, and conscientious audience,” says Picardi.“After getting to know Samhita through this process, I am confident that her experience as an editor and a leader is exactly what we need to further propel Teen Vogue into the future. It’s an honor to welcome her as a leader of this incredible team.”
Prior to joining Teen Vogue, Mukhopadhyay was the senior editorial director of culture and identities at Mic, where she led the teams responsible for the site’s groundbreaking coverage on Standing Rock, The Movement for Black Lives, Islamophobia, trans issues, and sexual assault on college campuses. Earlier in her career, she served as executive editor of Feministing.com. She is the coeditor of Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance and Revolution in Drumpf’s America, and the author of Outdated: Why Dating is Ruining Your Love Life. Her work has appeared in Al Jazeera, The Guardian, New York, Medium, Talking Points Memo, Mic, and Jezebel.
A prominent speaker, Mukhopadhyay has presented at Women in the World, SXSW, California Coalition for Sexual Assault, and at universities including Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, NYU, and Rutgers. Mukhopadhyay graduated from SUNY Albany with a degree in women’s studies and sociology, and holds a master’s degree in women and gender studies from San Francisco State University.
“I am deeply impressed with Teen Vogue’s coverage of the most important issues impacting young women’s lives today, as well as with Phill’s leadership,” says Mukhopadhyay. “I am honored and excited to help lead this vibrant and inspired team to expand and deepen their coverage on everything from body positivity, fashion, pop culture, Black Lives Matter, college sexual assault, and more.”
In addition, Teen Vogue has elevated Ella Cerón to the role of deputy editor, reporting to Mukhopadhyay. Cerón first joined Teen Vogue in 2015, and most recently served as digital West Coast & evenings editor. Earlier in her career, she worked as social media editor at The Cut. Cerón graduated from Fordham University where she studied English language and literature.
Teen Vogue is the young person’s guide to saving the world. We aim to educate, enlighten, and empower our audience to create a more inclusive environment—both on- and offline—by amplifying the voices of the unheard, telling stories that normally go untold, and providing resources for teens looking to make a tangible impact in their communities.

GOPIO-CT holds annual Youth Networking program

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GOPIO Connecticut conducted the annual Youth Networking program on December 23rd, 2017 at The Hampton Inn and Suites in  Stamford. The objective of this event was to inculcate education into the youth of Connecticut and to give them an opportunity to network amongst their peers and students/alumni of various universities and companies in USA.
Mr.Vedant Gannu, a High School in Stamford was the youth chair and organizer for the event where GOPIO officials, professionals and alumni from various industrial verticals and universities were invited to address and advise the youth about their education and participation in public and professional services.
Dr. Thomas Abraham and Mrs. Anita Bhat of GOPIO advised the youth on the availability of beneficial education in public service and the options for financing their education through different scholarships provided. GOPIO provides a platform for youth to serve its community.
Ajay Manchanda, CTO of The Navigators Group, spoke about evaluating career choices. “If you enjoy your career, you won’t feel like you are working. You’ll be having fun,” Manchanda said.
Ruchir Pandya of NBA spoke about the various career opportunities in his field. “The way to make the most of your career is to step out of your comfort zone,” said Padya.
Vinod Kumar, CEO of SKYi, spoke on the availability of International education opportunities and scholarships. Namrata Gannu of UBS spoke about the importance of networking in the industry.
“It’s important to start building a good online profile and presence in LinkedIn in order to network and maximize career opportunities,” Namrata said. Nupur Daptardar spoke on the admission process of various state colleges, and Ms. Isha Dalal of Yale spoke about high school experiences and college activities. The event maintained a large youth presence and provided them with firsthand knowledge from accomplished individuals. Over forty youth and young professionals participated in the program which ended with a lunch.

America’s “Top Young Scientist” Gitanjali Rao is all kinds Of awesome

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Gitanjali Rao, 11-yr-old Indian American from Lone Tree, Colo. was declared the winner on October 18, of the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, for inventing a cheap device that rapidly tests water for lead contamination, she’s been granted the accolade of “America’s Top Young Scientist”. Her discovery has netted $25,000 as a result. She has explained to journalists that she hopes to become a geneticist or an epidemiologist in the future.

Considered the premier national middle-school science competition, which is administered by 3M (@3M) and Discovery Education (@DiscoveryEd) chose the Indian-American girl for her work to develop Tethys, a sensor-based device that can detect lead in water faster than other current techniques.

Following the Flint water pollution tragedy, Gitanjali began working on this project which, rather than using expensive equipment for testing, uses a cost-effective approach to water safety using a mobile app that populates the water’s status almost immediately, a press release from organizers said. The portability of the devise makes it easy to carry and used whenever needed. Gitanjali hopes to solve the water contamination crisis and decrease long-term health effects from lead exposure.

Every year, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge asks kids up and down the country to explain in a short video a new scientific idea or invention – one that solves an everyday problem. Ten finalists are chosen, and the caliber is nothing less than spectacular. This year, a robot that helps reduce water wastage and a biodegradable material made from fruit that can clean up oil spills were just two of entries that made it to the last round of judging.

“I like finding solutions to real problems,” she said in a demo video for her product, which is called “Thethys” after the Greek goddess of fresh water. Gitanjali, a student at STEM School and Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colo., was inspired to make the device after studying major water crises in places like Flint, Mich., for two years.

“Imagine living day in and day out drinking contaminated water with dangerous substances like lead,” she said. She came up with the idea after reading about new nano technologies being used to detect hazardous substances on the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s website, and wondered whether it could be adapted to detect lead.

A seventh-grader at STEM School and Academy, Gitanjali competed alongside nine other finalists during a live competition at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn. She was awarded the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” as well as a $25,000 prize. There were five other Indian-Americans/South Asian Americans among the top 9 finalists –
Rithvik Ganesh, an eighth-grader at C.M. Rice Middle School from Plano, Texas, received second place; Laalitya Acharya, a ninth-grader at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio; Anika Bhagavatula, a ninth-grader at Wilton High School in Wilton, Conn.; and Samu Shreshtha, a ninth-grader from Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

During the past three months, Gitanjali and the other finalists worked directly with a 3M scientist to develop their innovations as part of a unique summer mentorship program. Gitanjali was paired with Dr. Kathleen Shafer, a 3M research specialist who develops new plastics technologies that have real-world applications in dentistry and other fields.

Each of the students collaborated with some of 3M’s leading scientists, who provided guidance as they worked through the scientific method to advance their ideas from a theoretical concept into a physical prototype. During the final competition, the finalists presented their inventions to a panel of 3M scientists, school superintendents and administrators from across the country.

11-year-old Arnav Sharma beats Einstein in Mensa IQ Test

Ajay GhoshYouth 0

Arnav Sharma, an 11-year-old Indian-origin boy in London has scored 162 in the prestigious Mensa IQ test, two points higher than geniuses Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Arnav from Reading town in southern England, passed the infamously difficult test a few weeks ago with zero preparation. The Mensa IQ test was developed in Britain to form an elite society of intelligent people, the Independent reported.

The so-called genius benchmark is set at 140 and Arnav Sharma gained a score of 162 – the maximum possible result you can achieve on the paper.  It is a whole two points higher than German-born theoretical physicist Einstein and celebrated cosmologist Hawking.

Arnav passed the infamously difficult test a few weeks back with zero preparation and had never seen what a typical paper looked like before taking it. His mark in the exam, which primarily measures verbal reasoning ability, puts him in the top one percent of the nation in terms of IQ level.

“The Mensa test is quite hard and not many people pass it, so do not expect to pass,” Sharma told the media. “I had no preparation at all for the exam but I was not nervous. My family were surprised but they were also very happy when I told them about the result.”

The boy’s mother, Meesha Dhamija Sharma, said she kept her “fingers crossed” during his exam. “I was thinking what is going to happen because you never know and he had never seen what a paper looks like,” she said.

Sharma said his hobbies are coding, badminton, piano, swimming and reading. He also has an unusually good geographical knowledge and can name all the capitals of the world. His mark in the exam, which primarily measures verbal reasoning ability, puts him in the top one per cent of the nation in terms of IQ level.

“The Mensa test is quite hard and not many people pass it so do not expect to pass,” Arnav confidently told the media. “I took the exam at the Salvation centre and it took about two and a half hours,” he recalled. “There were about seven or eight people there. A couple were children but the rest were adults. It was what I thought it would be.”

A spokesperson for Mensa praised the 11-year-old boy, saying: “It is a high mark which only a small percentage of people in the country will achieve.” Mensa was founded in 1946 in Oxford by Lancelot Lionel Ware, a scientist and lawyer, and Roland Berrill, an Australian barrister, but the organization later spread around the world. Its mission is to “identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity.”

Indian American Science Whiz Kids win major Awards at Intel ISEF 2017 contest

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Several Indian American science whiz kids won major awards at the Intel ISEF 2017 competition, The Society for Science and the Public and Intel announced May 19. A slew of Indian American and South Asian high school students took first through fourth award prizes in various categories as well.

Though none of the grand awards — one $75,000 award and two $50,000 prizes — went to Indian Americans, several high school students were recognized with major honors by the society and Intel.

Prathik Naidu, a student at Virginia-based Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, was among the winners of the Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award. Karthik Yegneh, of Methacton High School in Pennsylvania, for “The Homotopy Theory of Parametrized Objects,” took one of the Intel Foundation Cultural and Scientific Visit to China awards. Connecticut-based Greenwich High School student Rahul Subramaniam was among the Indo-U.S.

Science and Technology Visit to India Award winners. Subramaniam was selected for his project, “An Early Warning System for Zika Virus in Mosquito Populations Based on Real-Time Field Detection of Viral RNA in Mosquito Saliva.”

As part of the awards, several categories were given “Best of Category” honors, which netted the winners a $5,000 prize. Subsequent winners of the First, Second, Third and Fourth awards were gifted $3,000, $1,500, $1,000 and $500, respectively.

Naidu, for his project that won him the Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award, was the Best of Category and First Award winner in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics category.

Yegnesh, for his project that won him the Intel Foundation Cultural and Scientific Visit to China Award, was named Best of Category and First Award in the Mathematics category.

Subramaniam, for his project that won him the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Visit to India Award, was named the Best of Category and First Award winner in Microbiology.

2 students of Indian origin named Watson Fellows for 2017

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Amal Cheema of Wellesley College and Madhuri Venkateswar of Rice University are among the 2017 Thomas J. Watson Fellows. The 49th annual class of 40 Fellows was announced by the Watson Foundation comes from six countries and 21 states. They will travel to 67 countries exploring topics ranging from pediatric cancer treatment to citizen journalism, from animation to autonomous vehicles, from immigration to island communities, from megacities to wildfire management, the foundation said in a news release.
At the center of the Watson Foundation program are summer internships at leading organizations in New York City and around the world. Fellows go on to attend leading graduate programs, receive national and international scholarships, and become leaders in their organizations and fields.
“We are thrilled to announce the new class,” said Chris Kasabach, executive director of the Watson Foundation. “The fellows’ diverse backgrounds and accomplishments are inspirational. We look forward to welcoming them to the greater Watson community and crafting a three- year experience that grows each of their unique potential.”

UAE-based Kehkashan Basu wins Children’s Peace Prize

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An Indian schoolgirl based in UAE has won this year’s International Children’s Peace Prize for her fight to save the planet. Kehkashan Basu, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, was presented the award by Nobel Peace laureate Mohammad Yunus at a ceremony held in The Hague Dec. 3, Gulf News reported.

At the age of eight, Basu organized an awareness-raising campaign for the recycling of waste in her Dubai neighborhood. In 2012, she founded her own organization, Green Hope, which carries out environment-focused campaigns. Basu went on to become the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the Major Group for Children and Youth of the UN Environmental Program.

Basu has addressed various international conferences and her organization Green Hope was now active in ten countries with more than 1,000 young volunteers.

“It is a great achievement for such a young person to already have such reach and impact with her important message,” said Yunus. “Kehkashan teaches us that we all have a responsibility to work towards a sustainable future,” he added.

The schoolgirl won because she had proved her ability to start a movement with real impact, said Marc Dullaert, the founder of the Kids Rights Foundation. The Amsterdam-based global children’s aid group runs the award program, which started in 2005.

After receiving the prize, Basu said she would “keep campaigning to encourage children and adults to create a more sustainable future.” Basu currently divides her time between the UAE and Canada, where she has moved to study.

“I call upon everyone to think of how they can contribute to the preservation of the environment… Time is not on our side – we have to act now, or we will have polar bears under palm trees,” she said.

Ruchir Baronia, 13, builds Mobile applications

Ajay GhoshScience & Technology, Youth 0

Ruchir Baronia, a 13-year-old Indian American has built a mobile app that can send predefined text messages with the current location when the user inputs a volume key pattern on his/her mobile device (by pressing the volume buttons in a specific sequence) or when he/she speaks a user defined voice recognition key word without having to launch the application or unlock the phone.

The California teen has used a computer, emulation software, android phones, android studio, Pocketsphinx (voice recognition library), and java were used to create this mobile app, he says.

“I experimented with multiple API’s to achieve the most accurate voice recognition and location. I was also able to reduce CPU usage by multi-threading my application,” says the young computer master. “During the development phase, I created 21 different app builds. By the end of 16th build, I was able to achieve the functionality that I wanted. After this, I polished my user interface (UI) to simplify it, and to provide more customization for the user. I was finally satisfied with the app in my 21st build. Results I created an efficient mobile app that quickly contacts for help in emergency situations.”

According to him, “My app runs in the background, so it can be used without launching it, even when the device is locked.  An SMS with the location of the user can be sent just by saying a keyword or pressing the volume buttons in a specific pattern. My application runs on approximately 97.3% of android devices, with a minimum android version of API 14, or Android 4.0.3/Ice Cream Sandwich, which means that my app can run on almost all Android devices efficiently.”

Last year Ruchir Baronia, 13, of San Ramon, Calif. — about an hour away from the heart of the Silicon Valley — decided that he wanted to learn how to code. Since that time, Baronia has learned Java, joined an online community of coders and created five mobile phone apps (view his apps here: http://bit.ly/2g7nRKT).

He created another app called Rescuer, a hands-free text messaging app for emergencies. Rescuer was selected as a second-place winner in the California Science Fair and also won the 2016 Raytheon Academic Junior Special Achievement Award. His latest app Blare (found here: http://bit.ly/2fEmQhp), a program to help find lost phones with voice, has received mention on tech website CNET (see article here: http://cnet.co/2d8oc2J).

Kids’ ‘State Dinner’ hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama has 3 young NRI chefs

Ajay GhoshTourism, Youth 0

Three Indian American kids were invited to the White House: the Kids’ ‘State Dinner’ hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama recognizing winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a nationwide recipe contest for children to promote cooking and healthy eating on Thursday, July 14th.

Shakthi Ramachandran, 8, from Indiana, Abhijith Jenkins, 11, from Missouri and Priya Patel,10, from Texas were the three Indian Americans among 56 kids representing each U.S. state, five territories, and the District of Columbia, who were invited for the annual ‘State Dinner’ hosted by First Lady.

These young chefs were winners of a nationwide recipe challenge for U.S. students that promoted cooking and healthy eating. The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, selected the winners for their original recipes that included fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy.

Ramachandran made ‘Chicken Tikka Pita’ with cucumber raita, Jenkins prepared ‘Tropical Vacation with Catfish and Quinoa’ and Patel cooked ‘Tex-Mex Veg-Head Lasagna.’ The kids, who got a tour of the White House kitchen garden, were also entertained with a performance by the cast of Walt Disney World Resort’s “The Jungle Book.”

Kids’ ‘State Dinner’ hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama has 3 young NRI chefsOver 1,200 entries were submitted to this year’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The winning recipes were selected based on their healthfulness, taste, originality, affordability, and following USDA’s MyPlate nutrition guidance. In addition, the challenge encouraged entries to include local ingredients grown in the entrant’s state, territory, or community.

PTI adds: “Since 2012, as part of Let’s Move!, we’ve hosted five of these Kids’ State Dinners here at the White House. And altogether, we’ve reviewed over 6,000 recipe submissions. We’ve welcomed more than 270 young people and their families. And, of course, we ate a whole lot of good food,” the First Lady said in her address to the kids.

The event is not just about eating well today, she said. “It’s setting kids like all of you up for a lifetime of healthy choices. Because here’s what we know: Eating healthy foods can affect how well you do in school. That’s right,” she said.

According to Ramachandran, one day she asked her father how she could make her favorite food, chicken tikka masala, into a sandwich. “I love chicken and I also like to eat a lot of vegetables,” she said. “This recipe combines all these things and is very tasty and delicious. In the summer most of the vegetables we eat are from our garden. The cucumber raita dressing makes it delicious.”

Patel said she was inspired by her mom to make this recipe. “She always tells us to add vegetables to everything we make and to experiment,” she said. “I love Tex-Mex food and also lasagna, so we thought this was a good way to combine both. My mom also tells us to be flexible so we use canned or frozen vegetables if we’re out of fresh,” she said. “You can substitute any veggies and fruits you like. The possibilities are endless. My mom says not having or liking one ingredient is not an excuse to not try a recipe or to buy fast food!”

Since 2012, under this initiative, the First Lady has hosted five Kids’ State Dinners and welcomed more than 270 young people and their families to the White House, and over 6,000 recipe submissions have been reviewed. “And, of course, we ate a whole lot of good food”, she said, to cheers from the 2016 gathering. “That’s a good thing”.

Sruthi Palaniappan, 18, a Democratic Party Delegate at DNC

Ajay GhoshPolitics, Youth 0
Sruthi Palaniappan, an 18-year-old student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the youngest Indian American delegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, which began July 25 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sruthi Palaniappan says she was met with crowds of protesters as she walked to the convention center on the inaugural day of the convention. “Many of them are Bernie Sanders supporters who may especially be upset about the DNC leaks that occurred recently,” said Palaniappan.
Palaniappan is a precinct captain for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Before the Feb. 1 Iowa Caucus, the senior at Linn-Mar High School organized volunteers to canvass the precinct, knocking on doors to garner support for Clinton.
On the day of the Caucus, Palaniappan verified delegates allotted to Clinton, and convinced voters who were still on the fence. Though she was able to convince a number of voters who had not yet decided on whom to support, Palaniappan said she had a tougher time convincing supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. “Once you’ve aligned yourself with a candidate, it’s harder to switch sides,” she told the media.
Palaniappan’s father – Palaniappan Andiappan – is also attending the DNC, as a member of the credentials committee. The political activist – who will attend Harvard University this fall, majoring in Government and minoring in Global Health – said she hopes to run for office someday to “impact the day to day lives of people.”
Palaniappan was one of 50 young women from around the country who participated last month in the 2016 Distinguished Young Women of America competition. She was named a finalist and received a $2,500 scholarship (see separate story). Palaniappan won two additional awards at the competition: $1,000 for scholastics; and $2,000 for the Wintzell’s Oyster House My Town Award in memory of Betty Copeland.
Palaniappan says she’s hopeful in the parties ability to come together. “His statement today will really help unify the party, and show Senator Sanders supporters that they can still be as energized about those policy ideas that they were talking about earlier, especially because Secretary Clinton has been really trying to add them to their own platform now. And that we have a lot at stake here so we do have to move together forward.”

MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee Dallas & Houston winners announced

Ajay GhoshEducation, Youth 0

MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee held contests in Dallas and Houston to find the best speller in the asian (Indian American) community. With a huge turnout this year as well, the Bee attracted some top talent as well as young and new spellers that competed for the coveted prizes and titles.

In the Dallas Regional, Ananya Kodali (14) of Highland Village, Texas was the regional champ, Rohan Rajeev (13) of Edmond, Oklahoma, was the first runner up, and, Smrithi Upadhyayula (14) of Coppell, Texas, was second runner up.

In Houston, Raksheet Kota (13) from Katy, Texas was named regional champ, Alex Iyer (13) from Hill, Texas was first runner up. Abhirami Jeeyseelan (13) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana second runner-up.

The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age and was organized by the South Asian advertising firm Touchdown Media Inc. and sponsored by MetLife, a leading global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management.

The 2016 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee is scheduled to be conducted in 12 locations across the United States. Regional level events will be held in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. Metro, New Jersey, New York and Boston. All events will be free to attend and open to the public. Accra, Ghana was announced as the 13thcenter from where spellers of South Asian descent will qualify for the finals.

“For the past eight years, the Bee has consistently provided a firm platform for the community to come together and hone their craft. It’s become a family activity that contributes towards the overall development of the child. We are proud to enter our Ninth consecutive year and look forward to engaging some of these wonderful spellers,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey in August. Similar to previous years MetLife has once again funded the $10,000 champion’s grand prize that will be awarded to the winner at the finals.

Lotus Excellence Awards 2016 presented to students of Indian origin

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Naperville, IL: Mayor Steve Chirico and Mayor Emeritus George Pradel presented 2016-Lotus Excellence Awards to students of Indian origin. The Lotus Excellence awards are an initiative of the Indian Community Outreach Board-NICO to recognize the achievers in Indian American community. Mayor Pradel Leadership Award was announced last year at the time of his retirement and is given to a senior with outstanding leadership skills. Mayor Chirico was the chief guest at the event and addressed the students and parents with best wishes. He was happy to see and know that such bright students live in his own city of Naperville. He encouraged youth to take part in extracurricular activities and said that he was so proud of these young bright minds.

Mayor Emeritus, Pradel was the guest of honor and has always been a supporter of NICO Board and their projects.  He commended the students for their hard work and encouraged them to keep following their passion and dreams.

Krishna Bansal, Chairman of the NICO welcomed the guest and said: “The primary mission of NICO is to embrace, preserve, and promote the Cultural Heritage and contributions of Indian-Americans while educating them to get involved with the City of Naperville”.

Saily Joshi, a NICO Board Member said the awards were presented to students who excelled in the field of Academics, Sports, Arts (Visual, Film, Music, Dance, Digital Arts, Painting, Photography, Poetry, Drama, Theater etc.), Leadership, and Community Service. The cash award of $500 was presented to multiple recipients in each award category.  Eligible Students came from District 203, District 204, IMSA and home-schooled children.  Joshi went on to mention the importance of recognizing students for all these disciplines and not just academic achievement.  “It is important to encourage our next generation to excel in fields that are traditional to our community”, she added.

Madhur Limdi, a NICO Board Member said: “In the Indian culture a Lotus flower is associated with many divine beings; you all must have seen the image of Goddess Lakshmi seated on a lotus flower, while showering wealth on her devotes,” Madhur Kimdi added.

Narayan Tata, a NICO Board Member said that art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. A true artist finds his medium and expresses oneself so fluently that other mere mortals are mesmerized by their creativity and resulting art.

“Awards of Excellence” were presented to Binita Gupta for her Leadership & overall achievements.  Gupta received the first Mayor Pradel Award for Leadership. Nihal Dantluri and Anvita Hariharan were awarded in the Art’s Category, and Murugan Narayanan and Yash Agarwal were awarded in the academic achievement. A large number of people attended the event which included board members, Naperville community leaders, and supporters from the Indian community. Those who are interested in having more information, ma lease visit NICO Board’s website- www.napervilleindian.com

Mayor Steve Chirico, Mayor Emeritus George Pradel, Krishna Bansal, Chairman of the NICO along with Board presented 2016-Lotus Excellence Awards to students of Indian origin.

9-year-old Indian-origin girl is Apple developer conference’s youngest attendee

Ajay GhoshScience & Technology, Youth 0

Anvitha Vijay, a 9-year-old Indian-Australian, is only nine years old, but she has already developed a handful of apps for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Recognizing her potential, the technology giant has invited her to its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Calif. This made her the youngest participant at the event considered the Mecca for app developers, Fortune magazine reported June 13.

Two years ago, Vijay, who lives in Australia, was facing a ‘cash crunch’ when she decided to build a mobile app. With only $130 in her piggy bank — not enough to pay a developer to build the app for her —she decided to take matters into her own hands and spent a year watching free tutorials on YouTube and the internet to learn how to program, Fortune magazine reported.

Vijay will join thousands of other developers participating in the program. “Turning an idea for an app involves a lot of hard work,” said the little programmer as she described the process of developing an iOS app. “There are so many components to building an app, including prototyping, design and wireframing, user interface design and then coding and testing,” she was quoted as saying. According to Fortune, she’s already working on her next app, which would help children her own age to set goals.

6 Indian Americans on Winning Team at Science Olympiad National Tournament

Ajay GhoshEducation, Science & Technology, Youth 0

Six Indian American students, from Sacramento, Calif.-based Mira Loma High School, are among the15 member team that won the school’s first ever Science Olympiad National Tournament last month. The 32nd annual event was held May 20 and May 21 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Among the Mira Loma High team were sophomores Adith Arun and Nikhil Gupta; juniors Vijay Srinivasan, Pranav Kodali and Muthu Chidambaram; and senior Nishita Jain. Additionally, sophomore Sunil Shenoy and junior Ravina Sidhu were among the three Mira Loma alternates at the tournament.

Other team members of the Scott Martinez, Mark Porter and Rochelle Jacks-coached Mira Loma High School included Claire Burch, Sarah Gurev, Ellanor Treiterer, Shaina Zuber, Sidrah Siddiqui, David Yang, Evelyn Zhang, Helen Burch and Carson Flamm.

Throughout the two-day event, there were 23 events in biology, astronomy, physics, chemistry, epidemiology, meteorology, coding and engineering. The hour-long hands-on and lab events are led by experts from government agencies, top universities, industry and Science Olympiad state chapters, with many running simultaneously.
The Mira Loma team, which was pared down to 15 from a pool of nearly 100 students trying out, won medals in 12 of the events. Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Daniel Wright Junior High won the middle school competition.

“These winning teams exemplify the best America has to offer in science, technology, engineering and math,” Science Olympiad president and co-founder Gerard Putz said in a statement. “We are proud of their achievements and know their schools and communities will welcome them home like champions.”

The annual national tournament brings together 120 middle school and high school teams who won state-level tournaments. Mira Loma won in the Northern California tournament and is believed to be the first team from the area to win the national tournament.

For claiming the top spot in the tournament each of the 15 team members received a $3,000 UW-Stout Chancellor’s Scholarship, with the potential of renewal for a second year for $1,500.

The Science Olympiad is a Chicago-area-based national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 STEM education, increasing student interest in science, creating a technologically literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers.
More than 225,000 students on 7,600 teams from all 50 states competed in 400 regional, state and national Science Olympiad tournaments last year.

Twins of Indian Origin are Finalists in US Chemistry Olympiad Team

Ajay GhoshEducation, Science & Technology, Youth 0

Anushka and Anjali Walia, of Fremont, Calif., Indian American twin sisters, have been named among the 20 finalists by the American Chemistry Society for the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad team. The 15-year-old Walia sisters, juniors at Fremont-based Irvington High School, and 18 others from across the country are vying for the four open spots on the Olympiad team that will travel to the Eastern European city Tbilsi in Georgia for the 48th International Chemistry Olympiad.

This is Anjali’s first opportunity at making the U.S. team, while Anushka was a top 20 student in 2015. The finalists were selected from a series of exams. More than 16,000 students throughout the U.S. participated in the exams, with the top 20 selected to take part in a two-week study camp at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va.

The camp began May 31, during which the students will receive college- and graduate-level training with a focus on organic chemistry through June 15. Additionally, they are participating in a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work and testing.

Upon the conclusion of the camp, the top four students, as well as two alternates, will be selected to be part of the U.S. team. Also competing for the Olympiad team are Miles Dai, Brendan Yap, Allen Zhang, Brian Daniels, Lily Ireton, Alex Liu, Steven Liu, Benjamin Nguyen, Zilu Pan, Eric Qian, Yusha Sun, Kevin Tang, Joyce Tian, Harrison Wang, Shannon Weng, Junyu Yang and Lillian Zhu.

The Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio-based American Chemical Society is a 157,000-member nonprofit chartered by the U.S. Congress. It is one of the world’s largest scientific societies, providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. The International Chemistry Olympiad, pitting teams from more than 70 nations, is scheduled to run from July 23 through Aug. 1.

Students of Indian Origin shine at Intel ISEF contest

Ajay GhoshEducation, Youth 0

Students of Indian origin from the ninth through the 12th grade have won Special Awards at the 2016 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, organized by the Society for Science and the Public in partnership with the Intel Foundation. The teen winners, who won awards or recognition from more than one association or organization, are comprised of high school students who won a top prize at a local, regional, state or national science fair.

Receiving a first place award of $2,500 for her Sustainable Urban Design project from the Alcoa Foundation was Naveena Bontha, 16, of Richland, Wash., while the second spot was won by Pujan Sanjaykumar Patel, 16, of Rochester, Minnesota, who earned $1,500 for his Sustainable Design In Transportation project.

Megha Vyakaranam, 15, from Independence High School in Frisco, Texas, won the Ricoh USA Inc.’s Ricoh Sustainable Development Award of $12,500, for her project, “A Super Soaker for Greenhouse Gas: The Design and Synthesis of a Novel Metal Organic Framework for Adsorption and Storage of Gases like CO2.”

Vineet Edupuganti, of Portland, Oregon, took home the American Chemical Society’s first prize of $4,000 for his project, “Fabrication, Characterization, and Modeling of a Biodegradable Battery for Transient Electronics”; Anjali Chakradhar, of Lincroft, New Jersey, won the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists’ fourth prize of $250; Harish Palani, of Portland, Oregon, won the American Geosciences Institute’s third place award of $500; and Siona Prasad, of Alexandria, Virginia, won the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s first place award of $1,000.

A second place award of $1,000 from the American Physiological Society went to Aarushi Iris Pendharkar, 14, of Worcester, Mass.

Sapna K. Patel and Nikhil Sanjay Patel, of Oviedo, Florida, walked away with the American Psychological Association’s top awards. While Sapna won the first award of $1,500, Nikhil grabbed the third spot winning $500. Divya Vatsa, of Scottsdale, Arizona, also placed third.

The American Society for Horticultural Science presented a $500 award to Ambika Murali, of Pago Pago, American Samoa, while the American Statistical Association gave a second place award of $1,000 to Swetha Revanur, of San Jose, Calif.

Indian American winners of Arizona State University’s Intel ISEF Scholarship were: Divya Vatsa, of Scottsdale, Arizona; Ritika Bharati, Vedik Navale and Sachin Ganesh Konan of Chandler, Arizona; and Pujan Sanjaykumar Patel, of Rochester, Minnesota.

Shishir Dholakia and Shashank Dholakia, of Adrian C. Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, Calif., won the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the American Astronomical Society’s Priscilla and Bart Bok first award of $1,000 for their project, “A Search and Exploration of Multi-Exoplanet Systems Using Novel Photometric and TTV Algorithms for the K2 Mission.”

ASU Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives’ first prize of $2,500 went to Shantanu Jakhete, of Stuart, Florida. Drexel University’s full tuition scholarship was won by Ananya Satyawadi, of Pittsburgh, Pa; Aditya Jog, of Mason, Ohio; and Arjun Srinivasan Ramani, of West Lafayette, Indiana. An all expense paid trip from the European Organization for Nuclear Research-CERN to tour CERN was given to Rucha Joshi, of Austin, Texas.

Vikul Gupta, of Portland, Oregon, won the Bruno Kessler Foundation Award; Vineet Shah, of Poolesville, Maryland, won GoDaddy’s $1,500 Forward Thinker Award; and Rahul Ramesh, of Chandler, Arizona, won GoDaddy’s $1,500 Mobile Application Award. Google’s Thinking Big Award went to Shreyas Kapur, of Delhi, India.

Karthik Yegnesh, of Eagleville, Pa., took home the K. T. Li Foundation’s Special Award of $1,000, scoring second place; Columbia, South Carolina-based Sarayu K. Das and Portland, Oregon-based Chaitanya Dasharathi Karamchedu, won King Abdul-Aziz & his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity’s $1,000 award for Water Technology; Karthik Yegnesh, of Eagleville, Pa., won Mu Alpha Theta, National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society’s first prize of $1,500; while Arvind Krishna Ranganathan, from Mumbai, India, grabbed the second spot winning $1,000.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s top award of $5,000 was won by Shishir Dholakia and Shashank Dholakia, of Santa Clara, Calif.; Nikhil Murthy from Portland, Oregon, won the second prize of $2,000; and Eshika Saxena of Bellevue, Wash., and Delhi, India’s Shreyas Kapur, came in third, each earning $1,000.

Shreveport, Louisiana-based Meghana Srivyas Rao won the National Anti-Vivisection Society’s second prize of $2,000, while Dublin, Ohio-based Rama Nidhya Balasubramaniam won a third place prize of $1,000.

Rishi Nair wins 28th annual National Geographic Bee contest

Ajay GhoshEducation, Youth 0

Rishi Nair, a 12-year-old Indian American kid, was declared the winner of the 28th annual contests of the 2016 National Geographic Bee contests held on May 25 in Washington, D.C.

Making the contest historic was the fact that at the National Geographic Bee competition Indian-origin contestants maintained their dominance by sweeping all the top three slots. Saketh Jonnalagadda and Kapil Nathan were the other two young prodigies who won the second and their places respectively at the prestigious competition.

Indian-American students continued their dominance at the prestigious national bee competitions with seven out of 10 finalists made it to this year’s National Geographic Bee championship hailing from the community. This is the fifth consecutive year that an Indian- American has won the prestigious national tournament. Last year Karan Menon had won the competition. The 1st prize carried a cash award of $ 50,000, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all-expenses paid trip to Alaska for a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic eight-day adventure.

A sixth grader at Williams Magnet Middle School, Nair, by winning the 28th annual event, will join in the National Geographic Sea Lion expedition, and will include a stop at Glacier Bay National Park, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Jonnalagadda, the 2nd prize winner, is an eighth grader at Stony Brook Middle School, earned a $25,000 college scholarship. Nathan, the 3rd place winner, is a sixth grader at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School who was also a top 10 finalists in 2015, earned a $10,000 college scholarship.

Nair, a sixth grader from Florida took top honors, beating a total of 3 million students from 11,000 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, U.S. Atlantic and Pacific territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools who had taken part in the 2016 bee. Earlier, the winners of 54 state-level competitions convened in the nation’s capital May 23 for a preliminary round to determine the finalists. Seven of the 10 finalists who competed for the bee’s ultimate prize were Indian Americans.

The final question, which clinched the win for Nair, was: “A new marine sanctuary will protect sharks and other wildlife around Isla Wolf in which archipelago in the Pacific Ocean?”. The answer was: “Galapagos Islands”.  Nair, whose parents hail from Kerala, is the second Florida student to win the National Geographic Bee. In 2010, eighth-grader Aadith Moorthy of Palm Harbor was the national champion. Rahul Nagvekar in 2012, Sathwik Karnik in 2013, Akhil Rekulapelli in 2014 and Karan Menon in 2015 were the previous four winners.

The seven other finalists, which included Indian Americans Rishi Kumar, 10, of Maryland; Pranay Varada, 13, of Irving, Texas; Samanyu Dixit, 12, of Matthews, N.C.; and Ashwin Sivakumar, 11, of Beaverton, Ore., each won $500 for making it to the top 10.

The final round, moderated by humorist and journalist Mo Rocca, between Nair and Jonnalagadda consisted of seven questions. The eventual winner got off to an early lead by correctly answering “Switzerland” to the question, “The Gotthard Base Tunnel, expected to open in early June, will be the world’s longest rail tunnel. This tunnel is located in which country?”

Nihar Janga, youngest winner on record of Scripps National Spelling Bee Contest

Ajay GhoshEducation, Youth 0

Nihar Janga, at age 11, made record by becoming the youngest winner of the bee on record at the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which ended in a tie for the third consecutive year, with Jairam Hathwar and Nihar Janga declared co-champions after a roller-coaster finish. Jairam, 13, is the younger brother of 2014 co-champion Sriram Hathwar.

“I’m just speechless. I can’t say anything,” Nihar said as he hoisted the trophy. “I mean, I’m only in fifth grade.” The 11-year-old breezed up to the microphone with confidence, and most of his words, he knew right away. He looked like the strongest speller onstage, stronger even than his eventual co-champion, 13-year-old Jairam Hathwar, a blue-chip speller whose older brother hoisted the trophy two years ago.

Nihar, from Austin, Texas; and Jairam, from Painted Post, New York, were declared co-champions. It was the third year in a row that the bee ended in a tie. Scripps made the bee, broadcast on ESPN, tougher after two consecutive ties, forcing the last two spellers to get through three times as many words as in years past.

Bee organizers insisted they’d be OK with another tie, but they changed the rules to make it less likely. Instead of a pre-determined list of 25 “championship words” for the final three spellers, the bee instead forced the top three to go through up to 25 rounds. And the difficulty of the words could be adjusted as necessary.

Third-place finisher Snehaa Kumar of Folsom, Calif,, bowed out in the first championship round. Nihar and Jairam had to spell 24 words apiece before it was over. Nihar and Jairam have grown close over the past year, communicating mostly online. They chatted while others were spelling, high-fived after their words and embraced after they won. The timing of Nihar’s misses was almost too perfect to believe, and Nihar denied afterward that he misspelled on purpose. He said he just didn’t know the words.

“I wanted to win, but at the same time, I felt really bad for Jairam,” he said. Both were inspired by their favorite athletes. As the confetti fell, Nihar crossed his arms in homage to Dez Bryant’s touchdown celebrations. The Dallas Cowboys receiver responded with a congratulatory tweet.

Jairam, whose dad takes him to play golf when he’s had enough spelling practice, channeled his favorite player, Jordan Spieth. “When he hits a bad shot, he always bounces back, on the next shot or the next hole,” Jairam said. “When I missed those two words, I didn’t let them get to my head, and I just focused on the next word.”

This was the 89th bee, and while Scripps’ records from early years are incomplete, the youngest known champion was Wendy Guey, who won 20 years ago at age 12. The last to win in his first attempt was Pratyush Buddiga in 2002.

Nihar said he didn’t feel pressure to become the youngest winner for two reasons. First, he never expected to win. Second, most of the crowd’s attention was on an even younger speller: 6-year-old Akash Vukoti. “He did pretty good for a first-grader,” Nihar said. “He’s going to go places.”

Nihar and Jairam’s parents are immigrants from south India, continuing a remarkable run of success for Indian American spellers that began in 1999 with Nupur Lala’s victory, which was later featured in the documentary “Spellbound.” The bee has produced Indian American champions for nine straight years and 14 out of the last 18.

Syamantak Payra wins Intel’s Top Award

Ajay GhoshScience & Technology, Youth 0

Syamantak Payra, 15, of Friendswood, Texas, received one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of $50,000 for developing a low-cost electronically aided knee brace that allows an individual with a weakened leg to walk more naturally. Intel Corporation and the Society for Science and the Public announced the winners in Phoenix May 13 at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest high school science research competition. When Payra tested his prototype with two individuals partially disabled by polio, it almost immediately restored a more natural gait and increased mobility.

Besides Payra, the other Young Scientist Award was won by Kathy Liu, 17, of Salt Lake City, Utah, for developing an alternative battery component that could significantly improve battery performance and safety. Han Jie (Austin) Wang, 18, of Vancouver, Canada, received the first place Gordon E. Moore Award and US$75,000 in prize money for developing microbial fuel cells.

“Our top winners this year – Austin, Syamantak, and Kathy – clearly demonstrate that age has no bearing on your ability to conduct research and come up with solutions to important problems,” said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science and the Public.

“We congratulate them not only for their success, but on their dedication and hard work. They and the rest of the Intel ISEF finalists are the rising stars of STEM and we look forward to watching them pursue their passions and in turn make the world a better place for future generations.”

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair honors the world’s most promising student scientists, inventors and engineers. Finalists are selected annually from hundreds of affiliated fairs. Their projects are then evaluated onsite by approximately 1,000 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each with a Ph.D. or the equivalent of six years of related professional experience in one of the scientific disciplines.

Payra attends Clear Brook High School in Friendswood. His solution is both inexpensive and easy to use. He started with an off-the-shelf brace that only costs about $2,000. To this he added a motor-driven actuator. Its motor moves a piston in and out, which flexes the knee. A small computer that clips to the user’s belt or slips into a pocket controls that motor. That computer, in turn, receives signals from a sensor that reports the position of the opposite leg. According to Intel, together, all of the parts in Syamantak’s system will add only about $500 to the cost of the starting brace.

Indian Students Shine In Formula SAE Hybrid Car Design Contest

Ajay GhoshScience & Technology, Sports, Youth 0

A group of undergraduate engineering students from Bangalore won second place in design and project management categories at the prestigious International Formula SAE hybrid car design competitions held last week in Loudon, New Hampshire.

In a field of 28 teams from various countries, including Japan, Russia, Taiwan and Canada besides USA, the team from Ashwa Racing Workshop at R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore won fourth overall position in the competition held May 4-6.

The Formula Hybrid event founded and run by the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, is part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Collegiate Design Series and is regarded as the most complex and dynamic of the series.

“This was no mean feat given that the 20-member team of undergraduate students that included girls managed, despite time constraints, all aspects of the process of development, including shipping the car to the United States in time for the competition. That is impressive!” Rajat Bhatnagar of Atomic Launch of N.H. that helps companies launch new ventures and facilitates investments, management, product development, said.

The team members met with Riva Ganguly Das, Consul General of India in New York when they arrived in the city en route to Loudon May1 and briefed her about the design and the competition. Bhatnagar said he had been working to take care of the team in N.H. after being requested to do so by the consul general.

The sponsorship, including travel, lodging and food expenses, was borne and shared by Atomic Launch, and the team members. “We finished 2nd in design and project management events and 4th overall out of 28 registered teams. The prototype was designed, manufactured and assembled in Bangalore itself and was shipped all the way to New Hampshire,” Bhatnagar said quoting the students in response to a question. The prototype was shipped to U.S. March 10 and it reached the event site April 28.

The judges at the competition belonged to the Thayer School of Engineering, IEEE professionals, alumni of former Formula Hybrid team and many other people from various walks of life. Motor racing professionals who have been officiating at FSAE events were also part of the organizing committee or were judges.

To a question, the tem said that to build the race-car alongside their academics, it took them 10 months to complete. The cost incurred is around $25000.

RZ-X6H is a series hybrid prototype which is powered by both the motor, Agni-95R and Pulsar 220cc bike engine. The prototype weighs 318kg with a space framed chassis and uses a lithium ion battery with custom BMS (Battery Management System).

The students said the main design goal in building this race-car was performance and the challenge was to abide by the 35.5 MJ energy limit rule and suitably decide on the architecture to increase performance.

The Formula Hybrid Competition is an interdisciplinary design and engineering challenge for undergraduate and graduate university students. They must collaboratively design and build a formula-style electric or plug-in hybrid racecar and compete in a series of events.

This educational competition emphasizes innovation and fuel efficiency in a high-performance application. The Indian team that included Govind Shenoy, Lalith Keerthan, Abdul Rehman, Shamveel Mohammed, Manraaj Singh, Anushree H N, Nikitha Bhushi, Aishwarya L U and Gokul Suresh, will return to the competition next year with an electric car.

Samiya Fagun Wins Congressional District Art Contest

Ajay GhoshEducation, Youth 0

New York, NY: Samiya Fagun, a Bangladeshi student at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, has been crowned the winner of the fourth annual Congressional District Art Contest, known locally as Meng art contest after U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens). Meng announced April 25 that this year’s contest marked the first time that a student of Bangladeshi descent has won the competition.

A total of 46 students – including several others of South Asian descent – from 13 high schools participated in the contest. Meng presented all of them with special certificates of Congressional recognition. More than 650,000 high school students throughout the United States have participated since the competition began in 1982.

The contest, which consisted of entries from Queens high school students, is part of “An Artistic Discovery”, the national art contest sponsored each year by the House of Representatives that showcases the artwork of all Congressional district art contest winners from across the nation.

Beginning this June, Fagun’s winning artwork – along with the winning pieces from art contests in Congressional districts throughout the United States – will be displayed for one year in the historic Cannon Tunnel, a heavily-traveled corridor of the United States Capitol.

Fagun, along with one of her parents, will also be awarded round-trip airplane tickets to Washington, D.C. – courtesy of Southwest Airlines – to join Meng at the opening ceremonies of the national art competition.

The ceremony scheduled for June takes place on Capitol Hill and will recognize Fagun’s exceptional artistic talents as well as those of all the other young artists from around the country. Fagun, 18,  and the winners from each Congressional district art contest will also be eligible for a scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. A resident of Elmhurst, Fagun won the competition for her watercolor drawing entitled “Moments of Life.” She emigrated to the U.S. from Dhaka three years ago. She plans to attend City College of New York in the fall and may pursue a major in art.

2 Young Volunteers From India Honored In USA

Ajay GhoshYouth 0

Mahima Varma, 17, of Kolkata and Nikhiya Shamsher, 13, of Bangalore, were honored on May 1st at a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History during the 21st annual presentation of the U.S. Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Mahima and Nikhiya were presented with special commemorative trophies by Prudential Financial CEO John Strangfeld during the evening event held each year in May to present awards to America’s top two youth volunteers from each state. The honorees were also personally congratulated for their outstanding volunteer service by Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank.

Mahima and Nikhiya were named top youth volunteers by India’s Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards program in April. They received awards including an all-expense-paid trip for the special recognition events in Washington, D.C.

Mahima, a class XII student at Loreto House, Kolkata, is the co-founder and regional chair of “Girls for Tomorrow,” a nationwide movement to spread awareness about rape and teach young girls self-defense. In the aftermath of the Nirbhaya incident, Mahima was actively involved in many peace marches and protests. With an understanding that it would take years to change societal mindsets, she and two friends decided to empower girls instead of waiting for change to happen.
With the help of professional teachers, Mahima brings self-defense classes and life skill workshops to girls in three organizations: Udayan, a home and school for children with leprosy, Child Care Home, for girls rescued from red light areas, and Bastee Welfare Center, a literacy center for young mothers.

Nikhiya, a class VIII student at Greenwood High School, Bangalore, has launched two initiatives to educate the underprivileged – “Bags, Books and Blessings” and “Yearn to Learn.” Nikhiya started Bags, Books and Blessings after she realized that there were many children like her who did not have the basic resources to go to school.

She started her donation campaign in school, distributed brochures, put up posters, sent emails to all parents in the school database, and took turns with her friends to visit every classroom to motivate students to donate their schoolbags, textbooks, notebooks, stationery and other items.
Nikhiya also designed a website and urged journalists to spread the word so that more schools would donate. Her efforts yielded results and the donations started pouring in.

When Nikhiya learned that many schools do not have laboratory facilities due to limited resources, she decided to fill this void through fundraising efforts that raised a total of Rs. 4.18 lakhs. So far, Yearn to Learn has set up 11 laboratories in three schools in Bangalore, benefitting 2,250 students. Nikhiya says, “We may not be able to solve the world’s problems, but we can make the little part of the world where we live, a better place.” The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created by Prudential in 1995 to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models.

5 Indian Teens Win Google Contest On Web Safety

Ajay GhoshScience & Technology, Youth 0

Mavika Boyini from NASR School, Hyderabad; Vaidehi Reddy, Army Public School, Pune; Kanish Chugh, DLF Public School, Ghaziabad; Raviteja Anumukonda, Chirec Public School, Hyderabad; and Neya Saravanarajan, the Hindu Senior Secondary School, Chennai, won a web contest conducted by Google India on browsing websites safely, the global search engine provider said here last week.

“The competition witnessed several entries from across schools in the form of sketches, videos and apps and were judged on creativity, reach and impact,” the Indian subsidiary of the Silicon Valley-based firm said in a statement here.

The young minds were challenged to create their own online safety campaigns aimed at curbing cyber bullying and leaving a safe digital footprint. Boyini sketched a set of cartoons and admonished peers to never post anything which their grandmother would not like, said the statement. “Don’t be rude, don’t post inappropriate stuff and follow the grandma rule” are some her dos and don’ts. Reddy cautioned internet users never to reveal home address, personal details and refrain from illegal downloads through a video, the statement said.

Chug developed an anti-phishing game to enlighten peers on how to spot fake logos, while Anumukonda talked about the need to avoid easy and predictable passwords to preferring complex unhackable ones. Saravanarajan composed a catchy tune, Mr. Two Faces, to remind everyone to turn on privacy settings. Google will gift all the winning students with chromebooks and tablets, the statement added.

India Has Largest Youth Population 356 million10-24 year-olds in India

Staff ReporterIndia, Youth 0

United Nations: With 356 million 10-24 year-olds, India has the world’s largest youth population despite having a smaller population than China, a recent report by the United Nations has stated. The report titled ‘The power of 1.8 billion’, said 28 per cent of India’s population is 10 to 24 year-olds, adding that the youth population is growing fastest in the poorest nations. Global number of youths is highest ever.
China is second with 269 million young people, followed by Indonesia (67 million), the US (65 million) and Pakistan (59 million), Nigeria with 57 million, Brazil with 51 million, and Bangladesh with 48 million, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) State of the World’s Population report said.

It said that developing countries with large youth populations could see their economies soar, provided they invest heavily in young people’s education and health and protect their rights. Within this generation are 600 million adolescent girls with specific needs, challenges and aspirations for the future, the report said.
As the world is home to 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 year, 9 in 10 of the world’s young population live in less developed countries. “Young people are the innovators, creators, builders and leaders of the future. But they can transform the future only if they have skills, health, decision-making, and real choices in life.
“Today’s record 1.8 billion young people present an enormous opportunity to transform the future,” UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehim said. The potential economic gains would be realised through a “demographic dividend”, which can occur when a county’s working age population is larger than the population that is dependent.
“Never before have there been so many young people. Never again is there likely to be such potential for economic and social progress. How we meet the needs and aspirations of young people will define our common future,” the report said.
In order to maximise the dividend, countries must ensure their young working-age populations are equipped to seize opportunities for jobs and other income-earning possibilities, the UN agency said.

Sonika Vaid’s Dream Run Ends on ‘American Idol’

Ajay GhoshEntertainment, Youth 0

Sonika Vaid’s American Idol journey came to an end one week after performing the Frozen song “Let it Go,” but that doesn’t mean her Disney dreams are dashed. After being saved by the judges twice, Indian American singer Sonika Vaid saw her “American Idol” journey ending on March 24 from the Fox singing competition show after she failed to rack up enough audience votes.

The 20-year-old student, who made history as the first contestant of South Asian descent to advance to the ‘Top 5’ of the reality singing completion, had been an early favorite of the judges since opening auditions, who had constantly made admiring comments about her powerful voice.

“I always wanted to work with people like Disney. I have grown up watching Disney movies  [and the] Disney channel,” Vaid, 20, told reporters on a conference call on Friday (March 25). “I just love the music that they put out — their whole vibe.”

“Disney is always a dream. That would be really awesome,” the singer said. “I just really like pop and maybe a little bit of R&B,  but now that I sang rock on the show, that’s always an option, but pop is something I am really going to just stick to.”

Vaid looked like a gorgeous Disney princess right out of a movie, singing songs like Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” in a flowing black dress. The singer said she loved to get all dolled up, “even for the dark songs.”

“I was singing Evanescence in this beautiful gown that made me feel like I was going to the Oscars. The wardrobe team was just insane,” she said. “The dress I was going to wear for [the Sia song] “Love Me Back to Life” was breathtaking. I’m a little sad that I didn’t get to wear it because it’s really beautiful.”

While working with the mouse is at the top of Vaid’s wish list, she also wants to stick with pop if she continues to pursue music. The episode marked the Martha’s Vineyard resident’s third time in the bottom, and now that there were no saves left on the farewell season of the show, Vaid, whose rendition of pop hit “Clarity” by DJ Zedd featuring English singer Fox on March 17 couldn’t pull in the fan votes, was sent home.

“Being in this competition has been the biggest journey of my life,” Vaid, who sobbed on being axed, said in her final words before thanking the judges and her mother.

“I think I got more comfortable being onstage. I just feel so blessed to be here right now. This has been such an amazing experience. I came out of my comfort zone and it’s been like a dream for me.”

Only two Indian Americans in the past have made it to the finals of the much famed singing competition. Sanjaya Malakar advanced to the seventh place on the sixth season while Anoop Desai achieved a sixth place finish on the eighth season of the show.

Vaishak Kumar and Kriya Patel Win 2016 President’s Engagement Prize

Ajay GhoshYouth 0

Vaishak Kumar and Kriya Patel, two Indian-American students are among 3 winners of the generous 2016 President’s Engagement Prize at the University of Pennsylvania. Seniors Vaishak Kumar and Kriya Patel as well as Melanie Mariano were named the recipients of the $150,000 prize announced March 23, by UPenn President Amy Gutmann.

“Vaishak, Melanie and Kriya embody the very best qualities of Penn undergraduates: their eagerness and ability to translate knowledge into real-world impact and to apply their Penn education toward the betterment of humankind,” Gutmann is quoted saying in a press release.

“These projects represent a most remarkable range of Penn-educated talent, determination and public-spirited enterprise among our students. They will no doubt be outstanding ambassadors of public service, and I look forward to seeing the results of their projects.”

Each awardee receives as much as $100,000 for project implementation expenses and $50,000 for living expenses. The Prizes, first awarded last year, are competitively awarded annually to Penn seniors to design and undertake local, national or global engagement projects during the first year after they graduate.

Kumar, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, plans to use cost-efficient technology and novel research to help farmers in India boost their productivity. He will be part of the NESARA Agricultural Extension program. His initiative will employ mobile technology to improve farmer education in India, where the plight of farmers continues to be of great concern. He will also set up a low-cost mobile laboratory to provide farmers with timely, personalized information. Kumar is being mentored by by Devesh Kapur, director of UPenn’s Cener for the Advanced Study of India.

Patel, also a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, will help women about to be released from the all-female Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia apply for and secure health insurance and identification prior to release. The project entitled “Coming Home to Continued Care, by providing that access to health insurance, will allow the women to stay on their much-needed medication, aiding them with the process of re-entry into society. Patel will keep track of the women for at least three years to monitor the effects of continued care on recidivism rates. She is being mentored by Kathleen Brown, a practice associate professor of Nursing.

Mariano, a Nursing senior, will carry out a project to do with helping library patrons obtain health information, medical counseling and preventive health services.

Sparsh Shah, a 12-year-old Indian American rapper gets global recognition

Ajay GhoshEntertainment, Youth 0

Jersey City, NJ: With Bollywood superstar Salman Khan Tweeting about the Video of Indian American Kid Rapping, Sparsh Shah, a 12-year-old Indian American rapper based in New Jersey, got global recognition. Salman Khan on March 14 tweeted a video of him rapping to Eminem’s song “Not Afraid.”

The video of this boy sitting in a wheelchair and rapping was posted on YouTube at the beginning of this year, Jan. 2 — don’t miss the decorated Christmas tree in the background — but, post-Khan’s tweet, it got over 1.6 million hits. No mean feat by any stretch.

When Khan Bhai (known to applaud and promote true talent) posts something on his Twitter page, his fans sit up and notice — the Tweet was liked by 7,000 fans and re-tweeted over 3,000 times.

After the video was posted, everyone wanted to know more about the talented rapper. His Twitter page describes him as “a singer/song writer/rapper born with brittle bones (120+fractures), but an unbreakable spirit,” and states, “He aspires 2 sing in front of a Billion people one day.” Now that’s quite a dream. Shah noticed Khan’s Tweet and thanked him promptly in a Tweet.

AIF Cultivating Global Citizens

Ajay GhoshYouth 0

New York, NY: America India Foundation has announced the third season of the Youth Ambassador Program (AYAP)! In its vision to build a lasting bridge between the United States and India, AIF has proudly launched the Youth Ambassador Program (AYAP), a service-learning experience in India for U.S. high school students.

“This immersive, service-learning experience for US high school students fosters an awareness of social development in India through visits with local communities, Indian peers and schools, leading NGOs, and the private sector. Students engage with an AIF-designed service-learning curriculum and gain firsthand experience of issues of poverty and other challenges facing vulnerable communities,” a press release issued by AIF said.

AYAP has partnered with the Frugal Innovation Lab in the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University to integrate curriculum and hands-on activities that cultivate empathy alongside fundamental technology skills. Applications for the 2016 program in Bangalore, June 18-July 3, are open now!

AIF is looking for passionate high school students with an interest in building cross-cultural and global citizenship skills, and learning how to apply their learnings to improve the lives of underprivileged communities in India and beyond.

Now in its third year, AYAP seeks to foster an awareness of social development in India for participants through visits with local communities, Indian peers and schools, leading NGOs, and the private sector. Students engage with an AIF-designed service-learning curriculum and gain firsthand experience of issues of poverty and other challenges facing vulnerable communities.

Participants engage with Indian peers throughout the program to build relationships and work together to develop solutions to local problems. Students learn how to make sense of development challenges and to help advance social justice.

Program Objectives include: Facilitate an understanding of social, economic and environmental challenges facing vulnerable communities in India; Foster two-way cultural awareness among students from the U.S. and India; Expose students to the NGO and private sector roles in advancing social justice; Explore frugal innovation in education, livelihoods and environmental issues; Spark continued collaboration with AIF; and, Cultivate Youth Ambassadors individual social responsibility to the local and global community at large.

AYAP has partnered with the Frugal Innovation Lab in the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University to integrate curriculum and hands-on activities that cultivate empathy alongside fundamental technology skills.

AYAP participants return to the U.S. as global citizens, inspired to advance social change in India and beyond. AYAP creates a long-term leadership opportunity for continued collaboration with AIF, its programs and communities it serves across the country.

6 of 9 Intel Science Talent Search are of Indian Origin

Ajay GhoshEducation, Science & Technology, Youth 0

Washington, DC: Amol Punjabi, 17, of Marlborough, Mass., and Maya Varma, 17, of Cupertino, Calif., were chosen as first-place winners, along with Paige Brown, 17, of Bangor, Maine, in the prestigious 75th anniversary of the Intel Science Talent Search competition. Second-place winners included Meena Jagadeesan, 17, of Naperville, Ill., and Milind Jagota, 18, of Bethlehem, Pa. Kunal Shroff and Kavya Ravichandran were third-place winners, winning in Basic Research and Innovation, respectively.  Michael Zhang, 18, of Berwyn, Pa., and Nathan Charles Marshall, 17, of Boise, Idaho, won second and third place, respectively, in the Global Good category.

Overall, six Indian American teenage students were among the nine winners announced by the Intel and the Society for Science and the Public in a joint statement on March 15. Described to be among the most promising high school students and were celebrated for their scientific achievements in Washington, D.C, the winners walked away with the three first-, second- and third-place prizes of $150,000, $75,000 and $35,000, respectively.

Punjabi won the First Place Medal of Distinction for Basic Research in the prestigious competition. He developed software that could help drug makers develop new therapies for cancer and heart disease. Punjabi is also the lead author of a paper on nanoparticles published in ACS Nano and co-author of a paper on a related topic in Nanoscale. He is also the lead pianist for his high school’s jazz workshop and captain of the Science Olympiad team.

Varma won the First Place Medal of Distinction for Innovation. She used $35 worth of hobbyist electronics and free computer-aided design tools to create a low-cost, smartphone-based lung function analyzer that diagnoses lung disease as accurately as expensive devices currently used in medical laboratories.

Varma is proficient in five programming languages, holds leadership roles in multiple honor societies and science and math clubs, and has won grand prizes in several prestigious science competitions. “The Society congratulates Amol, Paige and Maya,” said Society for Science and the Public president and chief executive Maya Ajmera, who is also a Science Talent Search alumna. “They and the rest of the top winners of Intel STS 2016 are using science and technology to help address the problems they see in the world and will be at the forefront of creating the solutions we need for the future.”

Jagadeesan won in Basic Research for investigating an object in algebraic combinatorics, or the mathematics of counting, to reveal a novel relationship between classes of graphs. Jagota won in Innovation as he studied the performance of random nanowire networks as a less costly alternative to the transparent conductors now used in touchscreen devices.

Shroff, 17, of Great Falls, Va., discovered new relationships between the key protein associated with Huntington’s disease and the biological processes of cellular death that cause Huntington’s symptoms. His work may lead to new treatments. Ravichandran, 17, of Westlake, Ohio, studied the use of nanomedicine to destroy potentially fatal blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.

The winners were pared down from 1,750 entrants. The six Indian American winners came from a list of 40 finalists, which included 14 Indian Americans and South Asians. Indian Americans and South Asians accounted for 70 of the 300 semifinalists named in the competition.

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