All Indian American Congress Representatives Re-elected
Washington DC: Even as the world awaits the results of the US presidential elections, Indian-Americans have some reason to celebrate. The “Samosa Caucus” comprising five Indian-American Democratic lawmakers—Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois, Ami Bera and Ro Khanna from California, Pramila Jayapal from Washington, and Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris—have had a promising run in the elections. […]
Republican Red Tide Upsets Sri Preston Kulkarni’s Bid for TX-22
Houston: Sri Preston Kulkarni’s second attempt to win the TX-22 Congressional District was swept away by an unexpected Red Republican tide. Kulkarni lost to former Sherif Troy Nels by a 44.6% to 51.6%. Democrats in the local Indo-American community put their hearts and souls to help Kulkarni through multilingual phone banking, poll canvassing and literature […]
Biden-Harris Declare Victory after Surpassing Electoral College Threshhold
Washington DC (CNN): Joe Biden is US President-elect. winning on a message of unity and a pledge to restore the “soul of the nation” after four years of tumult under President Donald Trump. Biden rebuilt the “blue wall” of Great Lakes states where Trump had won four years earlier. He also delivered Democrats’ strongest performance […]
Who is Sri Preston Kulkarni? An Upclose and Personal Viewpoint
By Padma Srinivasan Sugar Land: One evening in early 2018, people were walking in to hear Beto O’Rourke speak at a Town Hall meeting in Sugar Land. I noticed a lone person standing outside handing out business cards telling people that he was running for Congress in Congressional District 22, Fort Bend County to unseat […]
2020 Presidential Election: Debate on Hindu-American Issues
San Francisco: A coalition of Hindu American organizations joined hands to conduct a first of its kind debate to discuss issues relevant to the Hindu American community in the upcoming presidential election. On Sunday, October 18, 2020, six Hindu Americans, split evenly between the two presidential candidates, met virtually to debate topics as they related […]
HGH Seeks Apology from Emgage
To: Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of National Emgage Foundation, Inc. Reference: Protest against Activities of Emgage in Texas District 22 We write in protest of your recent announcement of non-endorsement in the Texas Congressional District 22 race. We are unconcerned about who you choose to endorse; rather, we are shocked at the language used in describing […]
Hindu Groups Offended by Caricature of Kamala as Durga
Houston: Hindu groups in the US have sought an apology from the niece of Senator Kamala Harris for tweeting an ‘offensive’ image, which depicted the Democratic vice presidential nominee as goddess Durga. The tweet has now been deleted by Meena Harris, 35, who is a lawyer, a children’s book author and the founder of the […]
Early Voting Begins for the Soul of the Nation
Houston: Voters in Harris County set another early-voting record Wednesday. This time for turnout on the second day of early voting. According to a tweet from the Harris County Clerk’s Office, there had been 100,000 ballots cast by about 5:20 p.m. That shattered the previous day-two-early-voting record of 73,542 set in 2016. This marks the […]
Democracy First
By Lakshmy Parameswaran The United States of America – the model of democracy for the world – is at the precipice of becoming an autocratic state. The validity and certainty of the 2020 presidential election hang in the balance. President Trump claims that our ballot system is rigged, that is, if he loses the election. […]
A Year Later, County Honors its Fallen Hero Dhaliwal with Tollway Dedication
By Jawahar Malhotra Houston: A year after Harris County Deputy Constable Sandeep Dhaliwal was senselessly murdered at a gas station during a routine traffic stop on September 27, 2019, the County Commissioners formally unveiled signs on both sides of the 5-mile stretch of the Sam Houston Tollroad Beltway 8 from West Gulf Bank to Fairbanks […]
Houston Chronicle Endorses Sri Kulkarni
Changing demographics and a narrow escape in the 2018 elections helped persuade longtime Republican Congressman Pete Olson not to run for reelection in U.S. House District 22 this year. The six-term incumbent’s departure sets up a showdown that mirrors the presidential race with Sri Preston Kulkarni representing the moderate approach of Democrat Joe Biden and […]
The Indo-American Voter in 2020
By Safiya Ghori-Ahmad and Fatima Salman In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Senator Kamala Devi Harris (D-CA) put her Indian roots on full display. She spoke movingly about her Indian mother and gave a shout out to her “chittis” or, aunts in Tamil. Just a few days later at the Republican National […]
One of Our Own’s Covid-19 Journey from Ventilator to Back Home
By Lisa Grey Houston: In early March, Susham “Rita” Singh, then 65, took time off from selling appliances at the Galleria-area Home Depot. Her husband and her daughter — a doctor — yelled at her, warning her against flying to India for her annual visit with her mom. This new coronavirus was wreaking havoc in […]
Community Honors Deputy Dhaliwal One Year after Death
Houston: A year ago, Harris County deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was killed in the line of duty. The community he served vowed never to forget the beloved officer. Many showed up for a processional near his memorial on Sunday, where they remembered his life and honored his legacy. People from all backgrounds came to pay tribute […]
Richard Dawkins to Honor Javed Akhtar for Secularism
London: Their work has inspired and enlightened millions of people around the world and across generations. Their passionate advocacy for reason and their unapologetic questioning of religion and superstition have broken taboos and changed the cultural landscape. On October 24, these two champions of science and secularism will come together for the first time, as […]
Houston Symphony Features Indo-American Composer
Houston: The Houston Symphony’s second concert of the season features works entirely by women composers, and in particular, Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, whose music straddles and unites the worlds of Indian and Western classical music. A brass quintet of Houston Symphony musicians are performing Reena Esmail’s “Khirkhiyaan: Three Transformations for Brass Quintet”. Meaning “Windows” in […]
Biden Holds Lead among Indo-Americans
San Francisco: Sixty-six percent of Indian Americans currently favour Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for the 2020 presidential election as compared to 28 per cent who prefer President Donald Trump, according to a survey released Tuesday. Indiaspora, a nonprofit member organisation of global Indian diaspora leaders, and Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Data on Tuesday […]
What Kamala Means to Indo-American Women
By Chaya Murali I cried when Slumdog Millionaire won the Oscar for Best Picture. I didn’t expect the tears, but there they were, brought on by the sight of little brown children onstage at the Academy Awards, the sound of A.R. Rahman dedicating his statue to God in Tamil. I had never dreamt of such […]
Bill to Name Post Office for Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal
Houston: A new bill honoring Harris County Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was killed in the line of duty in September 2019, passed unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives Monday. Dhaliwal was killed during a traffic stop in Cypress, Texas on Sept. 27, 2019. In 2015, he made history as the first Texas law […]
Sewa Hosts Hate Crimes Webinar with HPD
By Katie Tong Houston: The Hindu humanitarian organization, Sewa International, recently hosted a webinar titled Hate Crimes: What are They and How Can We Respond? The event was moderated by Ranjana Bedi, director of Hindus of Greater Houston, and Anup Bhasin, director of disaster relief for Sewa. HPD Sergeant Alexandra Magnan gave a thoughtful, well-organized […]
