Indian American Diplomat to Join Hagel in India
By Press Trust of India, Indiawest Washington D.C. – A top Indian American diplomat in charge of policymaking in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations and defense will join Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during his India visit later this week, the State Department said Aug. 5. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military […]
Sikh Temple-Shooting Survivor’s Lessons Sustain Family
By Associated Press, Indiawest Oak Creek, Wis. — Punjab Singh spent a lifetime preaching the Sikh principles of optimism and hope, the very principles that his family now rely upon to sustain them during his slow recovery from being shot in the head two years ago by a white supremacist. Singh, 66, can neither move […]
Journalist Jehangir Pocha Succumbs to Cardiac Arrest
By Sunita Sohrabji, India West Jehangir Pocha, editor-in-chief of the New Delhi-based news television station NewsX, died unexpectedly early morning July 12 of cardiac arrest. Pocha, 46 at the time of his death, leaves behind his mother, his wife Ranjana and three children: toddler twins Darius and Daeya, and an older son, Adi. Pocha began […]
Conference Examines Cultural Aspects of Mental Health
News Dispatches, Indiawest Insight into a patient’s cultural background is not the only key to diagnosis and treatment, but it often can play an important role in both, said Dr. Ramaswamy Viswanathan, director of the psychiatric consultation-liaison service at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. “There are more similarities than […]
Indian American Entrepreneur, Activist Priya Haji Dead at 44
By Lisa Tsering, India West San Leandro, Calif. — Indian American thought leader and social entrepreneur Priya Haji was found dead in her home July 14 at the age of 44. She leaves behind two young children, an 11-month-old daughter, Zen, and two-year-old son, Omi. Haji — whose unusual name reflected her ethnic mix of […]
SAHARA Hosts Walk for Community Empowerment
Cerritos, Calif. — Indian American community members planted a field of paper flowers inscribed with such inspirational messages as “Love Heals” and “I Am at Peace” during the South Asian Helpline And Referral Agency ’s Walk for Community Empowerment June 22 at the Cerritos Regional Community Park here. While over 300 participants enjoyed activities promoting a […]
Costco Pulls D’Souza Book, Citing Poor Sales
By Lisa Tsering, India West San Leandro, Calif. — Mega-retailer Costco removed copies of Indian American author Dinesh D’Souza’s nonfiction title “America: Imagine a World Without Her” from its shelves, sparking outrage by his conservative fans. Forty-eight hours later, the book was back on Costco’s shelves, spurred by a Facebook campaign and an Internet blitz by […]
Indian Woman Arrested at DFW Airport for Abducting Her Child
By News Dispatches, Indiawest Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas — An Indian woman was arrested here when she arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport eight years after she apparently forcibly took her son away to India and brought him back again, according to an IANS report. Drew Dees, now 10, was reunited July 9 with his father, Dean […]
NYC Cabbie Guilty of Arranging Pakistan ‘Honor’ Killings
By Associated Press, Indiawest New York — A New York City taxi driver was convicted July 3 of arranging two killings in Pakistan because he was dismayed that his daughter had left an arranged marriage. Mohammad Ajmal Choudhry was so humiliated that he arranged the honor killings of two relatives of a man who had helped […]
Bill Clinton to Travel to India in July for Foundation
By Yoshita Singh, Press Trust of India New York — Former President Bill Clinton will travel to India this month during which he is expected to visit Lucknow and Jaipur and focus on critical issues, including global health, improved access to medicines, climate change and economic development. Clinton will travel to India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New […]
Teen Prodigy Cracks SAT, Earns Three Associate Degrees
By Sinduja Rangarajan, Special to India-West Granite Bay, Calif. — When Maadhav Shah checked his SAT score for the first time, his first instinct was to check it again. He had a perfect score of 2400. “I was pretty surprised,” the young Indian American teen toldIndia-West with a shy smile. “But when it sunk in, I […]
Three Indian American Youths on 2014 U.S. Physics Team
By Indiawest staff Three Indian American youths are among the 19 students from across the United States who have emerged through a rigorous exam process that began last January with approximately 4,277 students who participated in the Fnet=ma exam to make it to the 2014 U.S. Physics Team. The three Indian American youths are Rohan Kodialam […]
Two Indian American Researchers Receive ‘Early Career’ Awards
India West Staff Washington, D.C. — Two Indian Americans are among the 102 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government to science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. They were recognized by President Barack Obama at the White […]
Muslims Still on Bottom of Pyramid in India, Says Analyst
By Richard Springer, India West Abusaleh Shariff, executive director and chief scholar of the Washington, D.C.-based US India Policy Institute, says that while for many in India increased prosperity has improved their lives, the Muslim population still lags behind in programs and education. Shariff served as lead economist on the Rajinder Sacher Committee, appointed by then […]
Anesthesiologist to Lead Injury Research Center in Seattle
By India West Staff The Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center in Seattle, Wash., an affiliate of the University of Washington in Seattle and the Harborview Medical Center, has named Dr. Monica S. Vavilala medical director. A professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics and adjunct professor of neurological surgery and radiology at the University of Washington, she […]
The World’s Hindu Temples, Now in an App
By Lisa Tsering, India West San Leandro, Calif. — A new app just released for iOS lists more than 2,000 Hindu temples in some 50 countries. The “World’s Best Hindu Temples Directory,” available on iTunes, was conceived by Hari Iyer, an aviation engineer in Melbourne, Australia. A team of dedicated volunteers around the world have […]
Southern California Gang Busted for Targeting Indian Americans for Gold
New York — Police have arrested five members of a street gang in Long Beach for stealing gold from Indian American families across California and Nevada, a media report said. The gang members, who were involved in dangerous criminal acts like murders, take-over robberies, extortions, and drive-by shootings, had turned to burglarizing Indian families, robbing them of gold, cash and […]
San Leandro, Calif. — Actress, model and filmmaker Emily Shah of New Jersey became the first woman of Indian American descent to strut the Miss U.S.A. stage when she participated in the Miss U.S.A. pageant at the Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, La., June 8. Nia Sanchez of Nevada was crowned with the […]
White House Science Fair Showcases Indian American Techies
By Sunita Sohrabji, India West A seven-year-old Indian American boy was the youngest exhibitor at the fourth annual White House Science Fair May 27, and with his team presented the “Hot Car Safety System,” which aims to lessen the number of children who die annually from sitting in overheated cars. Swapneel Mandal from John Ross […]
$330,000 Raised at Sikh Human Development Gala
Washington, D.C. — Hundreds of Sikh community members raised over $330,000 for Punjab’s poor but bright students during a fundraising event hosted May 20 by the Sikh Human Development Foundation at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center here. The money was raised following a passionate appeal by chief guest Sardar Surender Singh Kandhari, who challenged the audience […]
