NRI ( Page 72 of 83 )

A million strong NRI voters gain political clout March 12, 2012 14:45

Indian Americans have emerged as an increasingly powerful segment of the American electorate as President Barack Obama makes his re-election bid this November, according to a demographic snapshot of South Asians. The number of Indian-Americans…

Two more Indian Americans to key jobs: Obama March 10, 2012 10:39

President Barack Obama, who with over two dozen appointments has more Indian Americans serving in White House jobs than in any previous administration, has named two more to key posts. While Indore educated Paula Gangopadhyay was named member, National Museum and Library Services Board, Bangalore educated Sonny Ramaswamy was named Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. "These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come," he said in making seven new appointments. Currently the Chief Learning Officer at The Henry Ford, where she is responsible for leadership, strategy, and education, Gangopadhyay has held a variety of positions in education and arts policy. These include Executive Director of the Plymouth Community Arts Council from 2006 to 2008; Curator at the Public Museum of Grand Rapids from 2002 to 2006; and Executive Director of the Great Lakes Centre for Education, Research and Practice from 2000 to 2001. Gangopadhyay has served as a member of many state and national boards, including the Michigan Humanities Council. She received her BA and MA from Indore University, and her post-graduate certification in archival, museum and editing studies from Duquesne University. Ramaswamy is Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University and Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. Previously, Ramaswamy was Associate Dean of the Purdue University College of Agriculture and directed the University's agricultural research programmes from 2006 to 2009. Prior to joining the Purdue faculty, Ramaswamy was head of the Department of Entomology at Kansas State University from 1997 to 2006, where he held the title of Distinguished Professor. Ramaswamy received a BS and MS in Entomology from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, and a PhD in Entomology from Rutgers University. Meanwhile, Obama has found a replacement for America's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Indian American Aneesh Chopra who quit last month apparently to try his hand at politics. Chopra's successor Todd Park has served as CTO of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) since August 2009, where he has been an agent for change, according to the White House.

NATA Day Musical Night: A Colorful extravaganza in Minneapolis March 09, 2012 09:49

North American Telugu Association (NATA) of Greater Minneapolis Region organized the first ever NATA day Musical Night and Comedy Show that attracted hundreds of people of Telugu origin from all over the upper Midwest. The event promoted to raise funds for NATA sponsored events and charitable efforts was a grand success said NATA Regional Coordinator for Greater Minneapolis Mr. Madhu Kolan. The event took place on Friday March, 02 2012. The venue was John F Kennedy high school where audience of over 500 watched the true spirit of Tollywood extravaganza unfold. The people of Telugu origin hungry for such events since the last Mani Sharma concert were electrified by performances by Kamna Jethmalani (Bend Appa Rao fame), M.M.Srilekha who made her mark both as a female music director and as a versatile singer, Uttej (Shiva and Money fame), Shivaji Raja (Samudram and Murari fame), Sowyma Roy (Kick fame), Kalpana, Simha, and Abhinaya Krishna with their endless comedy, melodious vocals, and sizzling dance performances. Kamna Jethmalani danced to the the tune of the latest songs, while Simha took the opportunity to entertain the crowd. Uttej and Kalpana were at their best along with Shivaji Raja and Soumya Roy providing wholesome entertainment with their comedy skits. Simha and M.M.Srilekha were at their best rendering many catchy songs from both Telugu and Hindi movies. Abhinaya Krishna performance was the highlight of the day with his mimicry dance imitation of 24 artists. There was music, dances, comedy skits and much more that kept the audience engaged and wanting more. Padma Dharnipragada was the MC. The event was opened by a traditional bharatanatyam by Miss Rithika . Madhu Kolan, NATA Regional Coordinator for Greater Minneapolis is the event organizer overseeing the entire logistics of the event. Felicitations were done to Sankar Bandi and Surya Duggirala for their selfless service to the Minnesota Telugu community. A grand felicitation ensued to Jyothi Reddy, NATA coordinator from Phoenix for her successes and philanthropy. Later the entire team, sponsors, community leaders presented awards to visiting celebrities. The Grand Sponsors of the event are Brookdale 8 Cinemas and Vajrasys, Mathnasium, SV Temple, Radio Kushi. Other contributors include Sankar Bandi, Sirish Samba, Mahi, Srini Reddy Gangi, Kishore Kandula, Nagender Mankala, Gnaneswar Kacham, Vijay Beeram and Mangalapai. The event would not have been possible without the support of numerous volunteers of Telugu Association of Minnesota (TEAM), Ram & Jyothi Tallapaka, Vivek Addagudi, Kishore Pandari, Srini Halaharvi, Praveen Reddy, Srikanth Kamojjula, Surya, Durga, Hari Pallempati, Saladi, Sujit Kolan, Sarathi, Venkat Reddy and numerous other friends. Special thanks to media sponsor SAIPIX.net for memorable photo moments and videos and food sponsors India Spice House, Bollywood Bistro, Surabhi and Kabobs who provided authentic Indian snacks and meals for the visiting guests! Though it was snowing, the support and care extended by the organizers and the encouragement expressed by the fans is warm wanting us to come back again and again exclaimed the visiting artists from India!

Canadian International Film Festival: Indian American filmmaker wins award March 06, 2012 10:14

Indian American filmmaker Manan Singh Katohora has won the “2012 Rising Star Award” for his feature film “9 Eleven” at the Canada International Film Festival. Held in Vancouver, British Columbia, the festival brings the very…

Trinidad and Tobago's Indian-origin PM survives no-trust vote March 06, 2012 09:55

For the first time in its 50-year history, the Trinidad and Tobago parliament sat for a marathon 27 and a half hours non-stop in which a vote of no confidence was moved against Indian-origin Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, but the motion was defeated. The session began Friday, March 2 at 1.30 pm and closed at 5 pm on Saturday. All 41 members -- 29 from the government and 11 from the opposition-- spoke in the house. One opposition member, Patrick Manning, is ill and is in Washington for treatment. When the vote was taken, the full government bench voted against the motion. Opposition Leader Keith Rowley had moved the motion on Persad-Bissessar and her 22-month old government -- comprising five coalition partners -- for not properly managing the economic, political and social issues in the country. Persad-Bissessar said the objective of the motion was to get her fired and bring down the government, but the opposition failed. She said that for 12 years, Manning, Rowley's former leader, had even described him as a "raging bull" and "completey out of control". The prime minister, who visited India in January, quoted extensively from Central Bank reports that showed the economy was improving from the decline the government had met it with, when it took office in May 2010. Finance Minister Winston Dookeran spoke of the numerous initiatives he has undertaken to bring the economy on a strong footing despite the critical financial situation all over the globe, especially in Europe. He said several international financial monitoring agencies have given Trinidad and Tobago positive ratings despite meeting a weak and depleted economy in May 2010. Dookeran is an international economist and author of several publications and who has lectured several times at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. There was loud support for Persad-Bissessar when she met thousands of placard-bearing supporters. Persad-Bissessar is the first woman to lead this country since its independence in 1962. Her forefathers were among 148,000 people who came here between 1845 and 1917 from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to work on sugar, cocoa and coconut plantations.

Dharun Ravi trial: MB testifies having sexual relations with Tyler March 03, 2012 15:51

A mystery man known only as MB testified that he had sexual relations with a student in Rutgers university dorm room on the two nights they allegedly were spied on by Indian-American student Dharun Ravi. The student Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after discovering that his roommate, Ravi had been allegedly attempting to record his sexual encounter with another man in Sep 2010. Ravi was charged with bias intimidation as a hate crime, along with invasion of privacy and hindering apprehension. He is not being charged in connection with Clementi’s death. Testifying for the prosecution in New Brunswick, New Jersey superior court, M.B. said he noticed the camera on a computer pointed toward the bed the first time he had sexual relations with Clementi on Sep. 19. M.B. said the webcam was not there on Sep. 21, the second, and last, time they had sexual relations. “While we were intimate on the bed, I glanced over my shoulder and noticed the webcam facing toward the bed, which I thought was kind of strange,” M.B. said. “Being in a compromising position, it seemed kind of strange.” M.B. testified that the camera that he described as shaped like “a business card” was not there the last time he saw Clementi on Sep 21. M.B. who appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s with full, but short, black hair told of how he first came into contact with Clementi via a gay website, Adam4Adam, before they set up their first meeting via text messages and online messages at Clementi’s dorm room on Thursday, Sep 16. Ravi’s attorney, Steven Altman, cross examined M.B. for about 90 minutes asking questions concerning messages and plans exchanged between M.B. and Clementi, particularly from Sep 16, when the two first met, until Sep 21, their last meeting. In particular, Altman wanted to know why the two did not meet in person until Sunday, Sep 19, after their first meeting on Sep 16. M.B. said Clementi had trouble contacting Ravi during that time to ask to have the room to himself for some time. M.B. vaguely recalled being busy or having to work. “There was discussion about meeting again,” M.B. said regarding correspondence he had with Clementi after their first meeting “We wanted to see each other every single day. We had a good relationship.”

South Carolina to be partner with India: Nikki Haley March 03, 2012 15:30

Proud of her Indian heritage, South Carolina’s Indian American governor Nikki Haley says she wanted an opportunity to partner with India, since becoming chief executive, and now those talks are underway. “As I became governor, what I saw was an opportunity – it’s an opportunity to partner with a country that continues to be strong when it comes to jobs and…in innovation,” Haley told reporters in the state capital Columbia Wednesday after a meeting with visiting Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao. “And so what I’ve asked is, ‘how do we get Indian companies to come and do business in South Carolina?’ I talked to the ambassador, and we are going to continue to talk.” Rao, who has been visiting South Carolina, said “I am exceptionally happy to be here.” “In the last two days, I’ve been to Charleston, and I’ve been here in Columbia, and I’ve had discussions with Governor Haley and her team. We’ve looked at the ways to cement better relations between India and South Carolina. “There are immense possibilities because this is really in many senses a time of awakening when it comes to India-US relations. “We have a number of Indian companies that do business in the United States, that have invested here, and what I’m going to try to do is to see that we have Indian companies come to South Carolina. “ “South Carolina provides a very conducive environment for foreign investment and which is what Indian companies would look to,” Rao said. Praising Haley as epitomizing the achievements of Indian Americans in the US, she said: “”She (Haley) is a star back home. We love her for achievements. In many ways, she epitomizes the achievements of the Indian American community in this country; all that they have done to make America proud and to make India proud.” Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa to Sikh immigrant parents, Haley is the first Indian American woman and the second Indian American governor of a US State after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. Both are from the Republican Party.

Rajat Gupta, Rajaratnam had animosity: Defence lawyer March 03, 2012 15:08

The defence team of Goldman Sachs Group’s Indian American director Rajat Gupta, accused of insider trading, is seeking material to show “animosity” between Gupta and convicted hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam. Gupta’s poor relationship with…

Nikki Haley skips White House dinner to meet friends February 29, 2012 18:53

South Carolina’s Indian-American Republican Governor Nikki Haley criticised President Barack Obama’s “failure to handle America”, but said “personal plans” kept her and husband Michael from attending Sunday’s White House dinner. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host the dinner annually for the governors to coincide with the National Governors Association conference in Washington. “We were meeting with friends,” Haley told reporters Monday, following a press conference organised by the Republican Governors Association (RGA). Haley said she and her husband “were honoured” to attend the White House dinner last year — her first as governor — but wanted to see friends Sunday night. Haley attended Monday morning’s meeting with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, where the president stressed the importance of education policy. Haley later joined fellow Republican governors, Indian-American Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Bob McDonnell of Virginia, at the RGA press conference to blast Obama’s policies and urge the election of a Republican president. In addition to stressing the Republican message on business and education issues, Haley, who has endorsed Republican Mitt Romney, said Obama was coming in the way of development in her state. “In South Carolina, we can’t even pass our own bills without him getting in the way,” she said. “We pass illegal immigration reform, he stops it. We pass voter ID, he stops it. We get Boeing, he stops it.” “I mean, I’d just like to be a governor and be able to take care of my state. The president’s trying to handle the entire country, and he’s failing,” Haley said.

Witness testified against NRI to escape charges February 29, 2012 18:44

Indian American Dharun Ravi urged other students to spy on his roommate's gay date, a New Jersey court was told as defence suggested a key witness agreed to testify to have criminal charges against her…

Birt-Indian Killed ex-Boyfriend February 27, 2012 18:40

An Indian origin medical student in Britain has been found guilty of playing a role in a plot to kill her ex-boyfriend for revenge after he tried to rape her. Twenty-year-old Mundill Mahil lured her boyfriend Gagandip Singh to her house, where he was beaten unconscious, then bundled into the boot of a car and burned alive. Mahil decided to ‘play God’ when she recruited two men to carry out the fatal attack on Singh, who she claimed had tried to rape her six months earlier, The Daily Mail reports. According to the report, Singh, a 21-year-old entrepreneur who founded a global television station dedicated to the Sikh community, was kicked, punched and struck with a camera tripod, then put into the boot of his car. The vehicle was then driven to a quiet London side street and set alight. The post-mortem examination revealed Singh was still alive when the fire began. Mahil was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm for her role in the attack, and was warned by the judge it is ‘virtually inevitable’ that she will be given a long jail sentence. Her two conspirators were also convicted of murder and manslaughter respectively. In a trial at the Old Bailey lasting more than two months, jurors were told it was a revenge killing in retaliation for an attempted rape of Mahil the year before. An Indian origin medical student in Britain has been found guilty of playing a role in a plot to kill her ex-boyfriend for revenge after he tried to rape her. Twenty-year-old Mundill Mahil lured her boyfriend Gagandip Singh to her house, where he was beaten unconscious, then bundled into the boot of a car and burned alive. Mahil decided to ‘play God’ when she recruited two men to carry out the fatal attack on Singh, who she claimed had tried to rape her six months earlier, The Daily Mail reports. According to the report, Singh, a 21-year-old entrepreneur who founded a global television station dedicated to the Sikh community, was kicked, punched and struck with a camera tripod, then put into the boot of his car. The vehicle was then driven to a quiet London side street and set alight. The post-mortem examination revealed Singh was still alive when the fire began. Mahil was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm for her role in the attack, and was warned by the judge it is ‘virtually inevitable’ that she will be given a long jail sentence. Her two conspirators were also convicted of murder and manslaughter respectively. In a trial at the Old Bailey lasting more than two months, jurors were told it was a revenge killing in retaliation for an attempted rape of Mahil the year before.

Trial of Indian student in roommate's suicide begins February 27, 2012 18:15

As a former Indian American student went on trial for spying on his roommate, who later committed suicide, with another man, prosecutors called it a hate crime and the defence a stupid teenage prank. In opening arguments on Friday at Dharun Ravi's trial, a Superior Court jury in New Brunswick, New Jersey heard two versions of a case that gay-rights advocates say underscores the problems of harassment and bullying faced by homosexual teenagers. Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi, 18, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge days after learning that Ravi had used a laptop webcam to secretly view him in a sexual encounter with another man. "This isn't about Dharun Ravi having to like Tyler Clementi's (sexual) orientation," Middlesex County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia McClure told the jury. "It's about having the decency to respect it."McClure called Ravi's actions "malicious and criminal," and argued that he set out to harass and intimidate Clementi because he was gay. But Steven Altman, Ravi's lawyer, asked jurors to withhold judgment until they heard all of the facts, contending that the prosecution had put a "spin" on the case that was not supported by the evidence. Ravi, who will turn 20 on Tuesday, is not a bigot and is not homophobic, Altman said. At the time of the incidents described in the criminal case, he said, his client was "an 18-year-old boy" beginning his first year in college. "Don't rush to judgment. Keep things in perspective," Altman said during a 25-minute opening in which he used the word "boy more than a dozen times to describe his client. Ravi "might have been stupid," Altman said, "but he certainly wasn't a criminal. "Ravi, who dropped out of Rutgers, the New Jersey State University, after being arrested in October 2010, has been charged in a 15-count criminal indictment. He could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bias intimidation, a so-called hate-crime offence.