Portraits of Sikh Gurus Removed from LA Bar After Protest
By Indiawest CALIFORNIA: A café-cum-bar here, which had outraged Sikhs by displaying portraits of their Gurus in its bar area (I-W, Sept. 27), has removed them. The Sikh community welcomed the decision of the Pikey Bar and Restaurant to remove the portraits of the Sikh Gurus. “United Sikhs is humbled to successfully address another issue […]
Obama Looking Forward to Meeting with Prime Minister, Says White House
WASHINGTON D.C.: President Barack Obama is looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Sept. 26 to discuss a wide range of issues and their shared objectives, the White House has said. “He (Obama) very much looks forward to the meeting,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters ahead of Singh’s arrival […]
Abercrombie & Fitch to Pay $71K to Settle Lawsuits Over Hijab
By Indiawest UNITED STATES: Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has agreed to pay $71,000 and to change its policies to settle two separate religious discrimination lawsuits on behalf of Muslim teens wearing hijabs, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Sept. 23. The settlement follows a recent ruling finding Abercrombie liable for religious discrimination in one case, […]
Obama Nominates Puneet Talwar to Key State Dept. Post
By Indiawest United States: President Barack Obama Sept. 10 nominated Puneet Talwar to the position of assistant secretary for political-military affairs in the State Department. He currently serves as special assistant to the president and senior director for Iran, Iraq and the Gulf States on the White House National Security Staff, a post he has held […]
Indians Now Third Largest Immigrant Population in U.S.
By Indiawest United States:The 1.86 million Indian immigrants who were living in the U.S. in 2011 represented the third-largest immigrant group by country of origin behind Mexico and China, according to a new study by the Migration Policy Institute. The share of Indian immigrants among all foreign-born in the U.S. has increased from less than […]
Cathy Bissoon: First U.S. South Asian Woman Federal Judge
By Indiawest United States: According to her court biography, Judge Cathy Bissoon, who is of Hispanic and Indian American descent, was appointed by a panel of judges in Pennsylvania as a magistrate judge and sworn in Aug. 1, 2008, becoming the first woman of South Asian descent to sit on a federal bench in the U.S. […]
India Must Be Economic Buffer to US in Afghanistan: Ami Bera
By Indiawest United States: India could serve as an economic buffer to Afghanistan’s economy as the U.S. completes its draw-down of troops in the country next year, said Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., in an interview before embarking on an eight-day trip to India Aug. 22. India has a critical role as a strategic and economic partner […]
Indian American Activists Protest Climate Polluters
By Indiawest RICHMOND, Calif:Over two dozen members of Brown and Green: South Asians for Climate Justice marched through the streets here Aug. 3 to the gates of the Chevron refinery, demanding that Chevron stop refining dirty Canadian tar sands oil, and reduce its impact on the climate—a factor in disasters like the 2010 Pakistan flood […]
Anna Hazare, Vidya Balan Lead Biggest NY India Day Parade
By Indiawest NEW YORK: India’s anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare and Bollywood actress Vidya Balan led the largest Indian Independence Day celebrations overseas, with over 200,000 people carrying the tricolor witnessing an impressive parade here which displayed India’s vibrant culture. Colorful floats, marching bands and convertibles made their way down Madison Avenue in Manhattan with revelers cheering […]
Vedic Cultural Center Hosts 4th Annual Ananda Mela
By Indiawest REDMOND, United States: Over the July 27-28 weekend, over 15,000 people visited the City Hall campus here to attend the fourth Ananda Mela, whose chief attraction was a 20-foot long model of the river Ganga, tracing its course from its Himalayan origin through the plains of northern India into the Bay of Bengal. Organized […]
SF Millionaire Pleads Not Guilty to Domestic Violence Charges
By Indiawest Gurbaksh Chahal, an Internet millionaire who founded his first company at age 16, pleaded not guilty Aug. 9 in San Francisco, Calif., Superior Court, to 47 charges of domestic violence in connection with an argument with his girlfriend. Chahal, 31, posted a $1 million bail and relinquished his passport to authorities after his […]
Indian American Kids Ace World Geography Championship
A team of three bright young Indian American students beat out teams from 17 other regions to win top honors at the 11th National Geographic World Championship July 31 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The U.S. team — team captain Gopi Ramanathan, 15, from Sartell, Minnesota; Asha Jain, 13, from Minocqua, Wisconsin; and Neelam Kaur Sandhu, […]
India’s Diversity, Economic Growth Praised at FIA I-Day
By Indiawest ARTESIA, CA, United States: Support from an all-star lineup of state dignitaries, cultural events and fervent speeches showcasing India’s diversity and economic growth marked the day as thousands gathered to celebrate the Federation of Indo-American’s 67th India Independence Day commemoration here in Artesia Park Aug. 3. The event was co-sponsored by the city of […]
Baby Born With Rare Genetic Disorder Gets New Life
By Sunita Sohrabji, India west JACKSONVILLE, United States: On Sept. 18, 2011, a little baby without eyelids, a cleft palate, legs fused together and numerous other external disorders was born at the Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital in rural Assam. Upon seeing their son, the biological parents determined they did not want to keep the baby. But India’s […]
Dawinder S. Sidhu Selected as 2013-14 Supreme Court Fellow
By Indiawest United States: Dawinder S. Sidhu, an assistant professor of law at the University of New Mexico School of Law, has been selected as a 2013-2014 Supreme Court Fellow assigned to the United States Sentencing Commission. The Supreme Court Fellows Program was created in 1973 by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger to provide […]
Report Reveals Half of Child Deaths Caused by Malnutrition
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States Global leaders met in London this month to launch the Lancet’s “2013 Series on Maternal and Child Nutrition.” This new four-part series is a much-anticipated follow-up to their landmark 2008 set of papers that elevated nutrition on the agenda of global health and development leaders. Those reports identified the critical 1,000-day […]
Crowley Urges Defense to Allow Turbaned Sikhs in U.S. Military
By Sunita Sohrabji, Staff Reporter Rep. Joe Crowley, D-New York, announced July 15 that he will send a letter to Defense Department Secretary Chuck Hagel urging him to allow all Sikhs to serve in the U.S. military, regardless of whether they keep their articles of faith. Crowley is circulating a letter among members of Congress, which […]
Candidate Ro Khanna: 2 Million Dollar Man
Congressional candidate Ro Khanna announced July 9 he had raised $1 million in three months in his bid to gain California’s 17th district House seat. Democratic incumbent Mike Honda’s re-election campaign simultaneously released a report July 9, stating that the incumbent has the support of 100 local Silicon Valley leaders, including most of the mayors […]
Cricketer Kapil Dev Headlines ‘IndiaNow 2013’ Gala
By IndiaWest SAN JOSE, Calif., United States: In an interesting mix of a gala and an exhibition, headlined by the legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, “IndiaNow 2013” attracted thousands of Bay Area residents over the course of three days of non-stop cultural festivities. “Friday evening’s gala was a grand success,” Shalini Raj Singh, one of the organizers […]
Couple Forced to Leave Movie Theater for Wearing Kirpans
By IndiaWest In a broad-ranging move affecting all Sikh Americans who wear their articles of faith, AMC Theaters has stated it will vigorously enforce its “no weapons” policy after a Sikh couple wearing kirpans were asked to leave a theater in Emeryville, California. On June 22, Manjot and Ikman Singh were preparing to watch the […]
