NEW YORK – The governor of Indiana Eric J. Holcomb has announced that the Bengaluru-based engineering firm, AXISCADES, is planning to relocate their North American headquarters in Indiana next spring and create 500 jobs by the end of 2023.

The decision comes after Gov. Holcomb’s visit with government and business leaders to India last month as a part of his five-day economic development trade mission to strengthen partnerships between Indiana and India.

“As the first Indiana governor to travel to India, I was thrilled to work with the Karnataka government to establish a sister-state relationship with one of the most dynamic and technologically advanced states in India,” Governor Holcomb said in a press release.

“Today, we laid the groundwork for closer cooperation, and I look forward to our future collaboration as we work to advance business and educational opportunities to serve Hoosiers and the people of Karnataka,” he added.

The announcement comes at a time when President Donald Trump has become very skeptical of Indian IT companies, accusing them of taking away U.S. jobs.

AXISCADES provides engineering solutions to aerospace, defense, heavy engineering, automotive, energy, medical and health care companies and employs more than 1,900 associates across North America, Europe and Asia with approximately 250 of them stationed at the company’s offices in Peoria, Illinois, and Montreal, Canada and on-site at its clients’ facilities.

“This is part of our strategic initiatives to continuously evolve and invest in expanding across North America and to provide high-end technology solutions,” Sudhakar Gande, vice chairman of AXISCADES, said in a statement referring to its Indiana plans.

Indiana has become closely linked to Indian companies through their partnerships with companies like Infosys and Wipro.

Earlier this year, Infosys announced plans to establish a tech and innovation hub in central Indiana, focused on cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning and investing $8.7 million, creating up to 2,000 new, high-skilled jobs.

In 2015, Appirio, a Wipro Company, announced plans to move its corporate headquarters to Indianapolis and grow its headcount from 150 to 577 associates by the end of 2020.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has also offered AXISCADES $4.3 million in conditional tax credits and $500,000 in training grants, which are pending approval from its board of directors and will be based on the company’s job creation plans.

Indiana and India share a number of economic, educational and cultural ties including the state’s exports to India which have increased by 117 percent since 2006, totaling
$266.6 million in 2016.

Infosys and Appirio have made significant job creation plans in recent years and more than 3,600 Indian undergraduate, graduate and professional students studied at Indiana University and Purdue University alone last year.

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The Vishveshwara Swamy Temple recently opened in Abilene, Texas and was reportedly built according to ancient Hindu scriptures and architecture.

“The main objective of the Abilene Hindu Temple is to propagate Hindu religion and to perform Hindu rituals. Devotees must be on strict vegetarian on visit,” it states on its website.

AHT is open daily and holds aarti twice a day along with organizing weekly pujas to all of the Hindu deities.

It also performs various worship services, including “Annadanam” for $1000 and “Vahana (vehicle) Pooja” for $50 and provides home visit priest services for devotees who wish to have worship services at home.

Hindu statesman and President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed commended the efforts of temple leaders and area community towards signifying this Hindu temple.

“It was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this temple would help in this direction,” he said.

Zed added that “instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.”

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EDISON, NJ – The infamous Dr. Seuss character, “The Grinch” was caught green-handed when he tried to steal Christmas away from Edison.

Edison Officers Chris Gadomski and Keith Jackson, caught The Grinch in a parody video and sentenced him to do community service in spreading the holiday cheer.

Starting Wednesday, Nov. 29, The Grinch’s portable jail cell will be hauled throughout Edison on a fire truck that will make stops in various neighborhoods so he can greet and be photographed with children of all ages, from 5 to 10 p.m. over the next seven days.

Parents who do bring their children to meet The Grinch are asked to donate a new, unwrapped toy for the Edison’s annual Toys For Tots drive.

Officers will then distribute the toys to children at JFK Hospital and The Lakeview School for children with disabilities as well as to women’s shelters in the area.

“Good police work is about more than enforcing the law. It’s about engaging our community and having some fun. Using the Grinch to spread holiday cheer and to collect Toys For Tots while our police officers interact with parents and children is positive, proactive police work,” said Police Chief Thomas Bryan who also had a message for any real Grinches or “porch-pirates” who might try to steal online gifts from people’s front doors, this holiday season.

“Our police department has stepped up neighborhood patrols and our officers are on the lookout for criminal activity. Perpetrators caught ‘stealing Christmas’ from any Edison residence will not be treated like a Dr. Seuss character. They probably will not be home for holidays,” Chief Bryan added.

“Once again, I am proud that our Police Department has found an imaginative way to go beyond the customary call-of-duty during the holiday season. They are entertaining families and providing holiday gifts for some of our most deserving children,” said Mayor Thomas Lankey.

More of The Grinch’s schedule is posted on Facebook at /EdisonPolice or can be accessed by dialing (732) 248-7575.

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NEW YORK – Amazon has been recruiting Indian vendors to sell their goods directly on Amazon.com, this holiday season, to lower prices for consumers and add more products to Amazon’s lineup to charge sellers hefty fees.

Amazon began doing this two years ago and since then at least 27,000 Indian sellers have signed up, ranging from giants like the Tata Group who sells their Titan watches, to smaller firms like The Boho Street who sells tapestries, incense and handcrafted copper mugs. Founder Abhishek Middha, says that Amazon provides a greater access to the American market.

“Amazon handles everything in the U.S., from shipping to customer handling, so we can focus on making the best quality products and adding more products to our catalog,” he told The New York Times, which reported the story.

Though Middha used to sell his products on other marketplaces like Etsy, he switched almost entirely to Amazon two years ago because of its vast scale and suite of services as last year, his sales rose to four times the usual level, on Cyber Monday, propelling his annual revenue to $1.9 million.

On Black Friday this year, his sales tripled compared with the previous day.

“Amazon taught us how to create a brand,” he said.

The growth of Amazon’s Indian global seller program shows how sophisticated its strategy has become as the company operates India’s second-largest e-commerce site, Amazon.in, which caters to the country’s growing base of online consumers.

But Amazon also sees India as a source of cheap and high-quality products that can be sold on its American site to help it take market share from competitors like Walmart, especially in the apparel category.

Abhijit Kamra, who heads Amazon’s global selling program in India, told The New York Times that Americans already buy many products that are made in India, such as cotton towels.

“What we are trying to do is compress the global supply chain and bring sellers and customers closer. Some of the 75 million Indian products on the main Amazon.com site, such as saris, tend to attract customers of Indian heritage. But other categories, like jewelry and health products, have wider appeal,” he said in a phone interview.

Amazon has listed many of its Indian products on a special page, Amazon.com/India, to help customers in the United States find them more easily.

For the holiday season, the company spent months helping sellers prepare by stockpiling goods in the United States and programming special “lightning deals” to generate shopper interest and in some cases, the company even lent sellers money for inventory.

According to the New York Times article, a merchant who chooses the full array of Amazon services, including buying advertising and contracting with the company to store and deliver the products from Amazon’s American warehouses, typically hands over about one-third of the item’s sale price in fees and commissions.

Thus, the India program has become quite profitable for Amazon’s bottom line.

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The election scene is heating up in Illinois’ 8th District as more Indian-Americans throw their hat into the ring for the U.S. Congress. The latest to join the challenge for her party’s nomination is TV Asia’s Midwest Bureau Chief Vandana Jhingan of Schaumburg, Illinois, who declared her candidacy Nov. 24, in a district held by incumbent Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat. She launched her petition drive to garner the 750-1,000 signatures required to be submitted to make her candidacy official, and said her work as a community activist and businesswoman qualified her to take on the rough and tumble of the race.

Recently, another Republican, Jitendra Diganvker, also a businessman from Schaumburg, Illinois, announced his candidacy for Congress from the same district. Like Diganvker, Jhingan will also need to be endorsed by the Republican Party in the March 2018 primaries.

Meanwhile, Congressman Krishnamoorthi, who filed his papers to officially start his 2018  re-election campaign, held his first fundraiser in New York state Nov. 27. Responding to what he thought of Indian-Americans running against him, Krishnamoorthi told this correspondent, “We live in a democracy. It’s a free country and people are exercising their rights.”

A person close to Krishnamoorthi’s campaign who did not wish to be named, said that the Illinois Congressman’s record on Capitol Hill speaks for itself.

Jhingan kicked off her petitions campaign with members of the Bhartiya Senior Group(BSG) in Carol Stream, Illinois. Hari Patel, president of BSG praised her service to the community and called upon everyone to provide unconditional support to her, a press release from her campaign said. She also has some heavy hitters in the Republican Hindu Coalition which has declared its support of her candidacy. “The RHC has committed to providing significant financial support to Jhingan’s campaign,” the press release said.

Jhingan said there were “innumerable problems” affecting a “vast” number of Americans from different walks of life, and their severity has only increased over the decades. “To correct these journeys my conscience has compelled me to run for 8th Congressional district in Illinois on a Republican ticket for all Americans,” Jhingan is quoted saying, adding that “her years of community service and experience working with business and government has motivated her” to take on challenges facing District 8 residents.

Jhingan has been the Midwest bureau chief of TV ASIA for more than 15 years and works on various appointed positions with the city of Schaumburg, the press release said.  She has lived in Schaumburg since 2000 with her family.  She is a certified yoga instructor and spends her free time taking care of her parents and working with the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Before he came to Congress in 2016, Krishnamoorthi had served as a former Treasurer of Illinois State, a solar technology entrepreneur, and had helped start the public corruption department in the Illinois Attorney General’s office, according to his supporters. In his first bid, he lost the Democratic primary to Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth. When Duckworth decided to run for the U.S. Senate, Krishnamoorthi was endorsed by his party.

“People have a right to run,” said one aide close to Krishnamoorthi, “We are going to focus on what Raja can do for Desis and other Americans, and has already proved himself.”

Krishnamoorthi drew attention to the priority on his agenda – career technical and vocational education, an effort that has borne fruit in legislation that is now before the U.S. Senate for approval, he noted during his interview.

A Congressional District has approximately 750,000 to a million people, and name recognition will be a challenge for the two Republicans who have declared their run for their party’s endorsement. Krishnamoorthi has an obvious advantage on that score. In addition, no Democrat has declared they will run against him in the Democratic Party primaries as of yet. If that remains the same, he will automatically be the party candidate for the November 2018 elections for a possible second term. Krishnamoorthi was one of four Indian-Americans who came into the U.S. House in 2016 (the others being Reps. Ami Bera and Ro Khanna of California; Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state); One more Indian-American was elected to the U.S. Senate, Kamala Harris of California. All are Democrats.

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Kiran Ahuja, CEO of Philanthropy Northwest and actor and activist Maulik Pancholy, were honored at the Chhaya CDC Architects of Change Gala, held on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Studio 450, which was attended by about 150 people.

Ahuja began her career as a civil rights lawyer in the U.S. Department of Justice and she has served as the founding executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, an advocacy and membership organization with regional chapters around the country, after which she spent six years as executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, leading efforts to increase access to federal services, resources and programs for underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and went onto serve as chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

“It is very humbling to receive an award and recognition like this. It means a great deal to me that I am receiving it from Chhaya an organization that for a very long time have had high regards to,” said Ahuja, who was happy to be sharing the award with Pancholy, who himself has put together a project about “the work that we need to do for our Indian American communities” and woks with a number of non-profits including the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and the LGBT community.

“I had a much easier time in this country than many of the clients Chhaya serves. But at the same time I know that as immigrant we all struggle and I think we can forget that. When I think about growing up in the Deep South in the wake of the civil rights era where there were very few immigrants, I struggled to find my place in those communities,” she added.

Ahuja then went on to ask the audience “what does it mean for us to have our own voice in this country” and told them that “all of what we do and we accomplish means nothing unless if our entire community doesn’t work with us and I think that is the work that Chhaya does.”

Chhaya CDC is an organization that was founded in 2000 to advocate for the housing needs of New York City’s South Asian community and helps immigrants become economically stable.

Chhaya provides immigrants with free direct services, education and outreach, community organizing, research and policy, and both local and citywide coalition-building and helps them with their tenant rights, financial capacity building, sustainable homeownership, foreclosure prevention, energy efficiency, women’s financial empowerment, workforce development and civic engagement.

By giving immigrants these tools and resources, Chhaya is able to impact a range of social outcomes, including education, employment, civic participation, community pride and mental health and well-being.

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NEW YORK – Vivian Cheng-Khanna, wife of attorney Rajiv Khanna and daughter of Helen M.M. and Lu-I Cheng, passed away on November 24 at the age of 62, succumbing to cancer.

She was born in New York City and lived in Upper Saddle River and Seaside Park, New Jersey as well as Goa, India.

She spent her life enriching the lives of everyone who crossed her path, helping them achieve their dreams and potential and encouraging them with her overwhelming optimism and brilliant intellect.

Her professional career consisted of mergers and acquisitions attorney, a municipal bond attorney at leading New York-based law firms, a real estate attorney and immigration attorney in her own firm and in social justice as a board member of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Vivian spent her early years in the San Francisco Bay Area where she graduated valedictorian of her Clayton Valley High School class before heading off to attend college at Harvard on a scholarship and also attended Columbia University Law School in New York City.

Vivian’s varied interests carried a rich multi-cultural tone and optimism for the future, providing a staunch sense of purpose to help others in multi-faceted ways.

Her higher purpose to life was motivated by her ancestry and teachings carried from her mother, Helen Yu and from her grandfather, Yu Youren, a leader in the founding of the Republic of China, and also a prominent Chinese calligrapher, educator, founder of a university and journalist, whose legacy is claimed by both China and Taiwan and is highly respected by both.

Like her grandfather, Vivian was detemined to leave this world a much better place than when she entered it, a goal which achieved in a multi-dimensional way with the countless people she helped achieve their potential and the social justice that she bought to society.

During her early years as an attorney, she met her future husband, Rajiv Khanna, a partner in a major law firm. They were married within a month after their first date, which lasted 28 years.

Vivian had a strong sense of family.

Her Chinese-American heritage and constant desire to immerse herself and learn about the Indian culture and family traditions, was apparent from the many cherished family dinners, reunions and events she participated in, organized and hosted with her husband.

Vivian loved playing the classical piano and concert clarinet, she also served as a student General Secretary of the Harvard Model United Nations club, reported for the Harvard Crimson, interned at the U.S. State Department, practiced law and visited her relatives across the globe in Washington DC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, and New Delhi and Mumbai, India.

She also walked the trails of Yosemite National Park with her father, strolled hand in hand by the seashore near her homes with her husband in Seaside Park and Goa, India and planted the seeds of life and hope in her garden as well as in the minds of those who knew her and loved her in a life well-lived.

Vivian is survived by her husband Rajiv Khanna and her siblings Noland, Lana and Julia.

Her funeral will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30 at VanderPlatt Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

A special memorial ‘Celebration of Life’ service is also planned for early next year in mid-to-late January, in New York City at the Harvard Club of New York in Manhattan.

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The Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) will be holding their 11th annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) along with the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs & Indian Ministry of Health and the government of West Bengal, at the famous JW Marriott in Kolkata, West Bengal, India from Dec. 28 to 31.

The Global Healthcare Summit will feature over 50 world renowned speakers and industry leaders from India, the United States and other countries, including several prominent leaders from India and the U.S.

With over 200 physicians from the United States, the Summit is expected to be attended by nearly 1,000 delegates from around the world.

“To be held for the first time in Kolkata, this year, AAPI Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) will have many new initiatives and also will be carrying the torch of ongoing projects undertaken by AAPI’s past leaders. In addition, several prominent leaders both from India and abroad will be addressing the Summit, including the President of India and the Chief Minister of West Bengal,” said Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of AAPI.

The Summit will also result in the inauguration of the first ever free AAPI sponsored health clinic in the state of West Bengal, serving thousands of people from the north eastern region of India.

“Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and subspecialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff. The GHS offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an integral part in the decision-making process regarding new products and services,” said Dr. Naresh Parekh, President-Elect of AAPI.

The Young Physicians Research Forum will be held on Dec. 28th at the oldest medical college of Asia, Calcutta Medical College.

Then an International Poster Presentation Session will be held along with two full days of scientific sessions on Dec. 29 and 30, as well as workshops, a CEO Forum, a Women’s Forum and Specialty Workshops which will be held on Dec. 31.

The summit will continue its tradition of providing training to First Responders at the American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine will offer the AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Center (EMTC) which has developed First Aid and CPR courses for first responders, including fire fighters, policemen, and EMTs from West Bengal at the KPC Medical College.

According to Dr. Samadder, AUA President and Co-founder, Neal Simon will participate in the panel discussion at the Summit’s Healthcare & Hospital CEO Forum, which will discuss how to establish and maintain a patient-centric approach on the operational and academic levels of organizations.

Panelists will generate a white paper with recommendations to the Ministry of Health and the Government of India for broader implementation.

“The nation of India has contributed greatly to the field of medicine internationally. In light of this and in keeping with AUA’s commitment to increasing diversity in the medical field, we consider India’s medical community to be a major component of our institution’s success” said Simon.

“GHS 2017 will include scientific programs developed by leading experts with contributions by the Scientific Advisory Board and International Scientific Committee, which will includes high priority areas like Cardiology, Diabetes, Oncology, Surgery, Mental Health, Maternal and Child Health, Allergy-Immunology and Lung Health, Health Information Technology (HIT), and the impact of co-morbidities,” said Dr. Ajay Lodha, immediate past-President of AAPI.

Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and subspecialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff.

The GHS offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an integral part in the decision-making process regarding new products and services.

The GHS Pre-Summit will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Dubai from Dec. 24 to 28, and the Post GHS TOUR will then take place in Bhutan from Jan. 1 to 4, 2018.

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NEW YORK – The North Jersey chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO-North Jersey) held a discussion on “Where India US Relations are Heading” on November 5, at Jyoti Restaurant, in Wayne, NJ.

Rajul Shah, President of GOPIO North Jersey Chapter spoke about strengthening India-U.S. relations and the significance of the meaningful dialogue that that takes place in the seminar.

Thomas Abraham, founder and current Chairman of GOPIO International, moderated the seminar and introduced the speakers as experts in their fields.

The seminar focused on two key aspects: Geopolitical and Economic Relations, led by Maya Chadda, a political science professor at William Patterson University and India-U.S. Immigration issues, led by David Nachman, a leading immigration attorney with the NPZ Law firm.

Chadda asserted that the policy shifts under President Donald Trump has strengthened India’s trust in the supporting of the United States, especially on the issues of terrorism and Pakistan’s role in it, mentioning that it still doesn’t solve the basic dilemma for the U.S. which needs Pakistan to stabilize Afghanistan and rid South Asia of terrorist safe havens.

She also talked about the economic codependence between China and the U.S. as well as the U.S.’s goal to contain North Korea, making the U.S. hedge its bets between India and China.

“It is only in securing the Indo-Pacific where India’s naval contribution is clear and can be substantial, that the Indo-Us convergence is unquestionably beneficial to both. Notwithstanding these caveats, Indo-Us relations have again resumed a decisively upward trajectory,” said Chadda.

Nachman addressed the issue of the current hiatus in the issuance of H1-B visas and the severe impact it is having on both the India and U.S. in the Information Technology industry.

According to Nachman, U.S. immigration and the nationality law is changing on a daily basis and presenting new challenges to immigration practitioners as well as for visa applicants.

“The immigration and nationality enforcement authorities nowadays are seeking to enhance information technology applications as well as security methodologies through a process called ‘extreme vetting’ to ensure the safety of individuals in the United States,” said Nachman.

“The silver-lining to the new and restrictive immigration law policies and procedures that have been implemented is that individuals are visiting our immigration law offices and making inquiries about potential options to enable them to obtain legal immigration status in the United States,” Nachman added.

Nachman suggested that India focus on issuing EB-2 visa instead of H1-B visa as Bangladesh and Pakistan have been taking full advantage of this and the Indian government has yet to come to terms on an agreement with U.S. on this matter.

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Allysa Kemraj was in high school when doctors diagnosed her with a rare genetic disorder. At Rutgers, she was surprised—and thrilled—to find a research lab that explores the science associated with her illness, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a disease that affects the body’s connective tissue.

She soon began working in the lab.

“I was looking for research opportunities that would be a good fit,” says the senior from Roselle, New Jersey. “Then I found this lab, and I was completely floored.”

Kemraj is an undergraduate research assistant in a lab run by Jean Baum, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences. Baum studies the interactions of proteins in the body and their role in Parkinson’s disease and other types of illnesses, including EDS, and a disease that affects patients receiving long-term dialysis treatment.

“Most people, understandably, don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the interactions between infinitesimal protein molecules in the body,” Baum says. “But when the interactions are disrupted or altered, serious illness can result.”

Baum’s lab uses sophisticated instruments to study proteins at the atomic level. And that helps break new ground on illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, in which researchers have discovered proteins that fold abnormally and form long chains called fibrils.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, meanwhile, refers to a group of disorders that include loose joints, stretchy skin, and excessive scar formation. These illnesses are linked to flawed collagen molecules, the most abundant protein in the body.

In high school, Kemraj noticed she was sustaining an inordinate number of injuries, such as dislocations and torn ligaments. “I played soccer and ran track,” she says. “I thought maybe it was growing pains.”

But then she began suffering from fainting spells and nausea. She and her family eventually went to the Mayo Clinic where doctors said she had EDS. Although she has a moderate form of the disease, Kemraj battles symptoms that include gastro-intestinal dysmotility, fatigue, and heart palpitations and arrhythmia. She makes frequent hospital visits. During her sophomore year at Rutgers, she sustained two ruptured discs in her back and required extensive medical attention and rehabilitation.

“I am lucky because when I go for medical care, I am able to leave the hospital and resume my life,” she says. “But that is not true for a lot of patients with EDS and other genetic disorders.”

Kemraj spends up to 20 hours a week in the Baum lab, working under Cody Hoop, a scientist who studies collagen illnesses like brittle bone disease. Hoop’s EDS research is supported by the American Heart Association because the disease in its most serious form can affect blood vessels and cause aortic aneurisms and ruptures.

For Kemraj, working so closely with her own illness is both an educational and edgy experience.

“I’ll be reading the medical literature and I’m, like, ‘Yup, that’s what’s going on in my body,’’’ she says. “It’s a little scary, but most of the time, it’s fascinating.”

Scientists studying proteins, a field known as structural biology, say their work offers hope for patients, particularly through drug discovery.

“If you know the shape of a protein and know the shape of a drug molecule that’s acting on that protein, you’ve got a good foundation from which to work to improve that drug,” says Andy Nieuwkoop, a professor in the chemistry and chemical biology department.

Both Baum and Nieuwkoop oversee research teams that use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers—instruments that allow them to examine proteins at the atomic level.

Protein samples are placed in a powerful magnetic field and bombarded with radio waves so that they send out distinct frequencies. Researchers use those signals to build models that show the location of each atom.

“They’re like MRIs, except for proteins rather than people,” says Nieuwkoop, whose team studies proteins and cell membranes, an emerging area that has implications for cancer and other diseases.

“The equipment we have at Rutgers is as good as anywhere in the world,” he says. “The technological advancements have gotten to the point where we can do experiments we could only dream about 10 years ago.”

The field attracts talented researchers, both graduate and undergraduate, who are drawn to the human health mission and eager to work with the NMR technology.

“I was drawn to the Baum lab because of its theme of protein-to-protein interaction,” says Hoop, a post-doctoral fellow who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine. “It’s important to understand how these interactions happen so that we can design drugs that can encourage or discourage interactions that may be connected to disease.”
Tamr Atieh, a chemistry major as a Rutgers undergraduate and now a graduate student, says the study of proteins is an increasingly influential field.

“A lot of the new drugs coming out are proteins,” he says.

Kemraj, meanwhile, said the Baum lab has had a major influence on her plans. She wants to go for an M.D./Ph.D. and devote her life to studying collagen and treating children.

“I want be a doctor and a specialist who can look my patients in the eye and say, ‘I, too, know what it’s like to have a chronic illness. And I’m going to do everything I can to help you.”’

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It was a luxurious and colorful bridal exhibition conducted in Renaissance, Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel on November 19, 2017. This was the 9th Annual DB Bridal Expo Chicago. This event is one of its kinds; in fact, the event is the Largest South Asian Bridal Expo that ever is held in the Midwest. There were 80+ Top vendor booths in various categories from all over the USA were having a presence under one roof, in order to promote their business and play their vital role in portraying the most beautiful and glittering products that enhance the beauty and elegance of the brides.

The 1st Fashion Show showcased clothing by Elegance by Hina and to add glitter to the clothing, jewelry by Chandni Exclusive. They received great appreciation and applause from the attendees. 2nd Fashion Show was clothing and jewelry by Tabarruj who received great appreciation from the attendees as well. MyGR Creations did a great job with Models Hair and Makeup. They were all looking gorgeous.

Fashion Show Choreography by Francisco Adams from Phoenix added beautiful moves and walks to the ramp and fashion shows. All the attendees seemed to enjoy the walks and pose with great appreciation. Fashion Show Stage Decoration was done by Yanni Design Studios who did a marvelous job to enhance the overall look and face of the event by giving the stage 1942: A Love Storylook!

Fashion Show Stage DJ, Sound, and Lighting were taken care of by Creative Sounds Entertainment and doubtlessly, they brightened up the whole show to its best. The beats DJ played were seamlessly merging with the choreography and the designs on the ramp.

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On the day that he was supposed to report to authorities with his passport and a one-way ticket to Bangladesh, Riaz Talukder was given a temporary reprieve by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE.

Talukder, whose wife is undergoing thyroid cancer treatment and whose two children are U.S. citizens, was to be deported because of his status as an undocumented immigrant. He has been living in the U.S. since he was 13.

“Now I feel good,” Talukder is quoted saying on CBSNewYork, adding, “Now I’m going to go to my wife and give her a big hug.” Talukder’s wife is scheduled for surgery in December, according to the news report.

Talukder’s case was taken up by advocacy groups who rallied behind him to publicize the situation and make a plea on his behalf to U.S. immigration authorities.

“Not having my dad is the end of the world for me and my brother and my mom,” 15-year-old son Rafi, a student at the Bronx High School of Science, is quoted saying in the CBSNewYork report.

Lucy Herschel, of the Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network told CBS Talukder holds a valid worker’s permit and Social Security number and has been under an order of supervision since 2010. He had been checking in with ICE as required since then. But last month he was told to return by Nov. 20 with his passport and an air ticket to Dacca.

Talukder did as he was told. Once there however, in the presence of “a large group of supporters, elected officials, and his own attorney” Talukder asked ICE to reconsider, CBS reported. His attorney, Edward Cuccia, said Talukder has been granted a six-month extension during which he said he would continue filing the paperwork needed to try to continue staying in the U.S.

Talukder’s earlier attempts at getting a Green Card on the road to citizenship had been stymied for several reasons – “Paperwork errors; he’s had prior bad attorneys,” according to Cuccia.

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Ajji” (Grandmother) is not an easy watch. Right from the first scene – where the protagonist hobbles through the dark bylanes of a slum in search of her missing granddaughter – to the climax, this film locks you in its grip.

Whether that is a good thing or not depends on your stomach for gratuitous violence and graphic scenes. Devashish Makhija’s 106-minute rape-revenge drama spares no punches, sketching out both the victim and perpetrator of rape in detail.

Manda, Ajji’s 12-year-old granddaughter, is raped by the son of a local politician. While she lies writhing in pain at home, Dhavale (Abhishek Banerjee) roams about freely, confident that the police will not touch him as they are on his payroll.

Sure enough, the police officer who visits the victim’s home tells the parents, who are poor slum-dwellers, not to make a big deal about their daughter’s rape. He brings along a suspicious looking doctor who “sews up” the girl as Ajji looks on with an increasing sense of helplessness and anger.

The old woman then decides to take matters into her own hands, smuggling traditional medicinal powders from a friend to heal the child despite the parents’ objection, and secretly follows the villain as he drinks himself senseless and hangs around an old construction site.

Makhija takes his time detailing these late night stalking sessions. One particular scene involving Dhavale and his friend defiling a mannequin serves to show just how despicable Makhija’s villain is.

The contrast between Dhavale’s privilege and Manda and Ajji’s helplessness is always apparent in the film. They have no access to any agency that will help them. Yet, Ajji is determined and with the help of a prostitute, Leela (Sadiya Siddiqui), she follows Dhavale around lonely alleys in her quest for vengeance.

There is a lot to like here, especially Sushama Deshpande as the titular heroine, known only by her status as Manda’s Ajji. Sharvani Suryavanshi as Manda and Smita Tambe as her mother are on point, and Makhija gets the atmospherics right – from the narrow alleys to the crowded, crumbling homes that his characters inhabit. It is his insistence on repeatedly hammering home his point that is the undoing of “Ajji”.

Yes, this is a film that should make you uncomfortable, and it does, but only up to a point. After a while, it becomes repetitive. But for all its flaws, this is a welcome break from the other sanitised rape-revenge dramas we’ve seen this year in the form of “Maatr” and “Mom”, and one that doesn’t flinch at the brutal nature of its subject.

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Film: ‘S Durga’; Director: Sanal Sasidharan; Starring: Rajshree Despande, Kannan Nayar; Rating: *** ½

The first 15 minutes of this jolting experiment with truth and nails seems completely unrelated to the rest of the film.

This is what you get when there is no formal screenplay. S Durga(S by the way, stands for ‘Sexy’ but shhhh!) was shot over one night on a barren highway with no script . The film is a marvel of improvisation. Director Sanal Sasidharan is not afraid to plunge into the abyss of the unknown as he explores the sexual dynamics of caste, gender and religious discrimination on a scarily dark desolate stretch of a road less travelled.

In some unexpected way, the highway becomes a metaphor for the socio-cultural imbalances in our society where the bullies often posing as custodians of the country’s moral values take over the destiny of ordinary citizens.

And so it happens with the couple Durga (Rajshree Despande)and Kabeer (Kannan Nayar) who are on the run.

The girl is Hindu and North Indian. And the boy is a Muslim from Kerala. Yup, this is the forbidden frightening world of ‘love jihad’ as seen through the eyes of a director who suffers with the couple and is able to transmute their feeling of growing dread to the audience.
As the couple hitches a ride with four sinister ‘strangers’ (billed simply as ‘strangers’) the intuitively improvised narrative gathers its cumulative strength by letting the couple’s destiny hang in abeyance.

We never know till the end what will happen to them. When we leave the couple we are given no assurance that they will be safe from predators and perverts. But we do know that the strangers who have given them a ride, are taking them for a ride that is most likely end in a horrible crime. Will the girl be raped? Will they be murdered? Or will the couple be robbed and allowed to escape with their lives?

As the scriptless voyage into the unknown reaches an end, you will find yourself sending up a prayer for Durga–who is sexy because she is not doing what sexy people normally do in films, namely act wounded vulnerable and hysterical under stress–and Kabeer–who is Muslim and in the company of his Hindu soulmate on a desolate highway…can it get any scarier? Can we ever hope for a balanced social order when two young adults can’t feel safe together?

“S Durga” is not an easy film to watch. Its aura of uncertainty makes you uncomfortable and quezy.It is thoroughly unpredictable and frequently out of control.

The cinematographer(Prathap Joseph) goes with the couple’s fears and insecurities capturing, not the outside world that creates these negative thoughts but the emotions that flow from within the couple as they try to remain calm under stress.

The thing about “S Durga” is, nothing happens to the couple. Not really. Till the end they are unharmed. And the social transgressors who offer them a ride keep reassuring the couple that they are safe in their company.

But are they? Director Sanal Sasirdharan constructs a spiral of terror without actually surrendering to the rituals of horror.

Speaking of rituals the film opens with a lengthy uncut recording of an elaborate Hindu ritual where the fanatic worshippers of the Mother Goddess inflict masochistic pain on their selves just to please the deity. The things we do in the name of the gods, I tell you! And the Goddesss whom we whip ourselves for into a bloodied pulp can’t be called sexy.

Self-punishment is attractive only when we do 50 shades of grey. This film goes into a thousand shades of black.

Watching “S Durga” you may feel at times like a wayward traveler who has lost his way while trying to escape from a situation of oppression. In doing so, the film creates yet another level of ineluctable terror.Tyranny, oppression and persecution are inescapable in a society where children are taught to look at the opposite sex with curiosity and other religious communities with caution.

It’s not love jihad we should fight. It is the aversion to love-and not just romantic love– that needs drastic revision in our social order. S Durga in its unrehearsed improvised way tells us why love is such crime on the highway to hell.

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NEW DELHI – He bagged a National Film Award when he essayed the life of lawyer Shahid Azmi in 2013 film “Shahid”. Now he is seen as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in web series “Bose: Dead/Alive”. Actor Rajkummar Rao says portraying somebodys life on-screen gives him real high as he gets ecstatic over the response he gets from fans.

Rajkummar is on a roll. He has just won two Asia Pacific Screen Awards for his role in “Newton”, India’s Oscar entry for the foreign film category.

Always one to go an extra mile for his roles, the Film and Television Institute of India alumnus had to gain 13 kg and go half bald for his role in “Bose: Dead/Alive”, which is available on Ekta Kapoor’s digital app ALTBalaji.

“There is a sense of responsibility when you play a real life character because there are people, who will see your work, make comparisons and judge you. They have all the rights to do that because they know the real person. They might have seen that person also,” Rajkummar told IANS here.

“Actually, playing a real life character as an actor gives me real high because there is so much of research material available in front of you. It’s amazing how you get to recreate somebody else’s life on-screen. It’s wonderful when you get responses like, ‘You actually look like him’,” he added.

For Rajkummar, mental preparation for such parts takes precedence over physical transformation.

“For me, mental preparation is always more important than the physical transformation. I had to look like Netaji and was asked to gain weight and go half bald, but the mental preparation was more challenging as I had to read a lot of books on his life. Also, there’s this autobiography on his life, which I used to read on sets. I even spent a lot of time at his house, Netaji Bhawan in Kolkata,” Rajkummar said.

“It was fun — the physical transformation. I got to eat a lot. Usually actors are required to follow a proper diet and not eat anything that they want. Also, shaving my head was an easy decision for me,” added the 33-year-old.

There’s an ongoing controversy over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmavati” over conjectured distortion of historical facts, but Rajkummar says in his case for “Bose: Dead/Alive”, he had “all the creative freedom which was required to play Netaji on-screen”.

“We didn’t really think that we are making a web-series, so we can portray him the way we want. The script was always there. A feature film could have easily been made out of it, but Ekta chose to make a web series. But my process of preparation didn’t change, I worked the same way like a film,” he said.

Rajkummar is rising high with the success of his films like “Behen Hogi Teri”, “Bareilly Ki Barfi”, “Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana” and “Newton”.

“As an actor, I don’t really think about what’s going to happen at the box office because that’s something nobody knows. I really want to enjoy whatever I am doing and then see how it is being accepted. People look for sincerity and honesty in work,” Rajkummar said.
“If a film does well, we all feel happy, but if it doesn’t, I am still fine as I know that I have done my job with sincerity, maybe the film didn’t connect well with the viewers,” he added.

With “Bose: Dead/Alive” now already receiving positive reviews from critics and viewers, Rajkummar is next looking forward to join the team of “Newton” in the US once he recovers from his leg injury.

“I am very excited about ‘Newton’. Soon I will join the team in the US for promotions,” he concluded.

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Former president Barack Obama has embarked on a three-nation tour with stops in China, India and France, during which he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his office announced Tuesday Nov. 28.

The tour comes just two weeks after President Donald Trump held a summit with Xi in Beijing and days after Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, a White House adviser, participated in a global economic summit in Hyderabad, India.

Obama was scheduled to open his trip Tuesday in Shanghai, where he will hold private meetings and speak at a trade summit. On Wednesday, he will participate in an education summit in Beijing and meet with Xi.

In a news release, Obama’s office said the former president had “forged a close and cooperative partnership with President Xi on issues ranging from growing the global economy to combating climate change, and he looks forward to catching up with his former counterpart.”

In November 2014, Obama and Xi announced a climate agreement, which was a precursor to the Paris climate accord signed by nearly all the nations in the world. Trump has announced his administration’s intent to withdraw the United States from that agreement at the earliest opportunity in 2020, a move Obama has publicly criticized.

In New Dehli on Thursday, Nov. 30, Obama is scheduled to speak at the HT Media Leadership Summit and meet with Modi. On Friday, Obama will hold a town-hall-style event for the Obama Foundation with an estimated 280 young leaders from across India, his office said.

“The Town Hall will expand the conversation about what it means to be an active citizen and to promote positive change,” Obama’s office said.

In Paris on Friday and Saturday, Obama will speak at the introductory session of the Les Napoleons Summit and hold private meetings.

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NEW YORK – Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, of Detroit, Michigan, was released on a $4.5 million unsecured bond last week, after spending seven months in jail for mutilating the genitalia of “countless” young girls.

According to detroitnews.com, she was freed after more than a dozen of her friends came to federal court and pledged to pay what would be the largest unsecured bond in Detroit federal court history if she flees while awaiting a June trial, the first trial nationwide involving female genital mutilation.

Nagarwala is to wear leg shackles with a GPS tether and live at an undisclosed hotel with her father, who agreed to watch her 24 hours a day and ensure she complies with the bond conditions.

She will not be able to have any contact with the witnesses or victims in the case and is banned from living at home while the state tries to strip her parental rights to two minor children, though she will be allowed supervised visits.

“She’s obviously really happy to be getting out, especially right before Thanksgiving,” her lawyer Shannon Smith told The Detroit News.

Her release came just two weeks before her next court hearing.

Detroitnews.com reports that federal prosecutors call Nagarwala a danger to the community and a flight risk with ties to Africa and India, she also has access to $2.4 million in assets that could bankroll a prolonged flight from justice.

Prosecutors say that she was arrested in April when she tried to board a flight to Kenya for a prearranged visit with two of her four children who study abroad.

Nagarwala is among eight people charged in a case alleging a 12-year conspiracy that involved cutting prepubescent girls as part of a procedure practiced by some members of a small Muslim sect from India, the Dawoodi Bohra. Locally, most members of the sect belong to the Anjuman-e-Najmi mosque in Farmington Hills.

Prosecutors estimate up to 100 girls were cut during the 12-year conspiracy. So far, the indictment references six victims.

Nagarwala has been jailed since April after prosecutors say two 7-year-old girls from Minnesota were cut at the Burhani Medical Clinic in Livonia.

The procedures happened even though the FBI had installed a hidden camera outside the clinic before the girls arrived. There is no indication in court records that investigators were watching the surveillance footage in real time, were aware of its significance initially or knew about the alleged surgeries beforehand.

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NEW YORK – Indian American Sini Mathews’ bond was lowered from $250,000 to $100,000 on Monday after she spent the holiday weekend in jail for her child endangerment case.

According to an NBC 5 report, Mathews’ bond was reduced at the Monday hearing by Dallas County Criminal District Court Judge Stephanie Fargo but is required to be put under house arrest and forced to wear an ankle monitor.

Mathews is the mother of Sherin Mathews, the Indian American toddler who died suspiciously last month.

The NBC 5 report also mentioned that Richardson police said that Mathews was a flight risk and before she was arrested she asked her pediatrician for shot records so that her 3-year-old biological daughter could “go to India” after which Fargo surrendered Mathews’ passport.

She and her husband Wesley were arrested earlier this month after police learned they they had left Sherin, their adopted daughter, at home without adult supervision, while they went to dinner with their other biological daughter on Oct. 6.

Wesley told police that Sherin was being punished for not drinking her milk and was alive when they returned home, 90 minutes later and as a result, took Sini into custody for child endangerment, ordering her to be held on a $250,000 bond.

The next day, Wesley called police and reported Sherin missing saying that she had just disappeared overnight, with her location unknown, after he had ordered her to stand outside for not drinking her milk, at 3 a.m.

Authorities found the girl’s body in a drainage culvert about a mile away from the Mathews’ home, two weeks after she was reported missing, provoking Wesley to say that he had “physically assisted” Sherin to drink the milk and that she choked and died and moved her body.

He was immediately arrested and remains to be in jail on a felony charge of injury to a child.

Meanwhile, Sini said she was innocent in Sherin’s death as she was asleep while it happened, thus her attorney, Mitchell Nolte, requested that her bond be reduced claiming that the normal bond schedule for someone with no priors is just $500.

After Sherin disappeared, the couple’s biological 3-year-old daughter was placed into foster care and is now in custody of family members living in the Houston area.

Sini and Wesley’s custody hearing for their 3-year-old is scheduled for Nov. 29 while the investigation into Sherin’s death still continues.

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Shri Ram – Mata Janaki Vivah Utsav was celebrated by hundreds of devotees at the Hindu Mandir of Lake County, Grayslake, IL Nov. 23, The day marks the Shuklapaksha (waxing phase) Panchami (fifth day) of the month of Margashirsha of Hindu Calendar. This festival takes on added importance in North India and Nepal as Goddess Sita’s parental home is said to be in the Mithilanchal region there.

The wedding ceremonies were enacted with the statues of Lord Ram and Mata Janaki. The Baraat (procession) of Lord Ram with all other male Gods of the temple was taken into the shrine by male devotees and Pundit Anil Joshi offered Madhuparkam to Lord Ram. Later, young children broke the Dhanush (bow) of Lord Shiv symbolizing the action of Ram at the Swayamvar where he won Sita’s hand in marriage. The breaking of bow symbolizes the disruption of ego before entering into Grahsthashram – married life.

Mata Janaki was carried in by the female devotees who gorgeously dressed up for the occasion. Mata Sita performed Gauri Poojan with her devotees before her wedding. Temple priests, Pt. Anil Joshi Ji from Var Paksh and Yogesh Pandey from Kanya Paksha welcomed devotees from both sides and performed Hasta Milap, offering of Uttariya and Gotrachar and Kanya daan.

Pundit Joshi also performed Pujan of Lord Ganesh, Lord Ram and Mata Sita including all the Vedic wedding rituals such as Jayamala, Saptapadi (Seven steps) referred to as Saat Phere. Devotees went around the holy fire and also sang the praises of Lord Ram and Mata Sita through to the Bidayi procession.

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Harwinder Paul Singh Lail, administrator of the Illinois Board of Governors, and past president of the Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago, as well as past chairman of the Sikh Religious Society of Palatine’s Constitution Implementation Committee, was honored Nov. 19, by Asian Chronicle USA TV Channel with the Asian American Exemplary Civic Service Award 2017. He also received the U.S. President’s Gold Volunteer Service medallion.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes United States citizens and permanent residents who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period or cumulative hours over the course of a lifetime.

For adults 26 years and older, the Gold medallion requires more than 500 hours of community service over the year, according to the White House website. Requests for the President’s volunteer award are submitted by legitimate organizations, in this case, Asian Chronicle USA. Four other Asian-Americans were similarly awarded at the ceremony.

From Asian Chronicle USA Lail received the plaque, and the White House volunteer service award included a medallion, a lapel pin, and a certificate signed by President Trump. These were presented to him by Lourdes Mon, executive producer of Asian Chronicle USA in the presence of the Consul General of Korea in Chicago and nearly 400 other distinguished guests including his wife Barinderjit Kaur other family members and friends, a press release said. Mon noted Singh’s efforts community building through organizing sports, cultural, and spiritual activities in his ethnic community, local neighborhood, his place of worship, and at his workplace.

The Asian American Exemplary Civic Service Award is given annually by the Asian Chronicle TV channel to individuals and families which are cohesive role models for others to emulate, extend numerous civic and community services here and/or in their native countries, and they impact the positive image of Asians in America.

Asian Chronicle USA is a television program on public access cable broadcast in 90 suburban communities of Chicagoland area, the press release said. Lail has received several awards in the past and recognized for his service.

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