NEW YORK

Shivangi Maini, of Queens, was crowned Miss India New York 2017 at the 36th Miss, 10th Teen and the 4th Mrs. India New York Pageant held on December 3, in Long Island, NY.

The event was hosted by Nishi Bahl of Panache Entertainment and IFC, and coordinated by Shilpa Jhurani.

The largest reputed pageant held outside of India, it has provided a platform for several Bollywood actresses in the past, like Richa Sharma Dutt, and Aarti Chhabria.

The event consisted of judged segments including Ethnic Wear, Evening Wear, Talent, and Question and Answer.

Preliminary judging included a three-minute talent portion, which ranged from traditional Kathak pieces, to modern Bollywood dance, and playing instruments, to public speaking skills.

The Best Talent was awarded to Vinika Shikapuri of Melville, NY. She played the violin to the Indian National anthem, along with performing a dual genre dance performance to the chartbuster ‘Aisa jadoo dala re’, where she displayed her modern dance skills inclusive of props from jumping off the chair.

She concluded her performance with a medley performing traditional Indian classical kathak choreography to a mainstream song Don Omar – Danza Kuduro featuring Lucenzo.

For the finale, each contestant was asked a question by the judges’ panel.

The judges’ panel included Adnan Khwaja, Director of supermodel pageant Runway Princess, expert photographer and event planner of AA Film Studios and Dream Moulders; Box Office and South Asian Insider founder Sharanjit Singh Thind, social worker and community leader Nilima Madan, founder of The Ticket Guru Abhinav Madan, and Director of Social Services in Nassau County Sunita Manjrekar.

The event was emceed by the 2016 outgoing queens Miss India New York Riya Kaur, Miss Teen India New York Rhea Manjrekar and Mrs. India New York Nishtha Chadda.

The Miss India New York 2017 title went to Shivangi Maini of Queens, New York; 1st Runner-up: Renuka Joseph from Long Island; 2nd Runner-up: Inpreet Rattu of Suffolk County, New York; 3rd Runner-up: Nishigandha from Queens, Long Island.

In the Teen category, Miss Teen India New York 2017 title went to Vinika Shikapuri from Melville, Long Island; 1st Runner-up: Simran Kohli from Hicksville, Long Island; 2nd Runner-up: Priya Aguilar Bhanot of New Hyde Park; and 3rd Runner-up: Geetika Kochar from Bethpage, Long Island.

In the Mrs. Category, Mrs. India New York 2017 title went to Talath Quadri from Long Island; 1st Runner-up: Devinder “Devin”; 2nd Runner-up: Gurpreet Singh and 3rd Runner- up: Anjali Jain from Hicksville, Long Island.

In addition to these titles, there were multiple subtitle winners in all three categories, including Best Talent: Vinika Shikapuri; Beautiful Smile: Anjali Jain; Most Photogenic: Nidhi Tomar; Best Model: Sofia Win Aung.

This year, a new title of Panache Brand Ambassador was awarded to Sofia Win Aung.

The winners will now proceed to compete representing the state of New York, at Miss, Teen and Mrs. India USA hosted by Neelam and Dharmatma Saran of IFC.

The post Shivangi Maini crowned Miss India New York 2017 appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK

Apart from leading Indian-American physicians as well as specialists from around the world, India’s President is expected to address the Dec. 28-30, 11th annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and Indian Ministry of Health as well as the government of West Bengal. India’s Vice President Venkiah Naidu, will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony Dec. 30, in Kolkata, the AAPI announced in a press release.

Vice President Venkiah Naidu informed AAPI President Dr. Gautam Sammader via a hand-written note that he was “glad” to officiate at the closing ceremony of the summit scheduled to be held in the Kolkata JW Marriott. The GHS will be attended and addressed by more than 50 speakers from India, U.S. and other countries, and industry representatives. Well known artists will perform at the event.

The Summit will also inaugurate the first ever free AAPI-sponsored health clinic in the state of West Bengal, which is expected to serve thousands of people from the north eastern region of India, according to AAPI.

More than 200 physicians from the United States, will be joined by hundreds of others to attend the summit. Some 1,000 delegates from around the world will be there, organizers said. Several new initiatives and ongoing projects undertaken by AAPI’s past leaders, will be showcased, Sammader said, and apart from leaders in their fields, the President of India and the Chief Minister of West Bengal will also address the summit, the press release said.

Some of the offering at the summit include – training to First Responders, a CEO Forum by a galaxy of CEOs from around the world, inauguration of AAPI-sponsored clinic, Continuing Medical Education seminars, cultural events, a dinner cruise on the Ganges, interactive roundtables, clinical practice workshops, scientific poster/research session and meet-the-expert sessions. A Women’s Forum, a special session on public-private partnership featuring AAPI Healthcare Charitable activities, and Town Hall sessions resulting in a White Paper on helping create policies benefitting the people of India, are only some of the major highlights of the Healthcare Summit, Dr. Naresh Parekh, president-elect of AAPI, is quoted saying in the press release.

For more information on Global Health Summit, please visit www.aapiusa.org

The post India’s president to address global healthcare summit organized by Indian-Americans, vice president to preside over closing ceremony appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – At Indiana University – Purdue Indianapolis (IUPUI), 21 undergraduate students joined certified international cricket coach Jatin Patel in monitoring cricket lessons in effort to promote the sport in the United States.

Patel, who holds Cricket Australia and many other soccer coaching credentials in the U.S., introduced this program at IUPUI in 2013 and since then IUPUI has been organizing the coaching certification program “Basics of Cricket” every year, according to a press release.

The students in the program which uses USYCA youth cricket sets and the American Cricket Federation cricket coaching certification program, are being educated in cricket by Sandy Barnett of the Indiana University Department of Kinesiology who is also the Physical Education Lecturer for the IU School of Physical Education and Tourism Management.

In the fall semester, students get basic practical cricket lessons, including how to throw the ball in the field and catch it, how to run between the wickets, how to bowl, play strokes, perform wicket-keeping and what would be the proper use of batting crease, so they are able to participate in field sessions at the end of the semester.

Patel explains to the students how cricket and baseball are similar in ways that the batter in baseball is known as the batsman in cricket and the pitcher in baseball is knows as the bowler in cricket, but most importantly he tells them that cricket is the most popular game in the world but a lot of developed countries do not play the game.

Both boys and girls displayed their bowling and batting skills with confidence as they initially used tennis balls and youth sized bats before being introduced to the wooden cricket bat and the colored and white leather balls which are used for day and day-night cricket matches.

Patel also showed them the safety equipment for the game including the helmet, pads, gloves, thigh and arm pads and more.

Indiana is the only state in U.S. which currently has such a program to educate college students about cricket through the cricket coach education program, which has been introduced to five different colleges and universities, with prime focus to develop future primary education program for schools based on simple concept “how physical education teachers and coaches would like to understand the game and how they are willing to teach future scholars.”

Meanwhile, USA Cricket has announced a number of zonal volunteer positions in the areas of performance, participation and membership with a view to continue to build the new USA Cricket.

“As we look to expand our reach and deliver various activities within the community, local support will be helpful to realize the potential of these initiatives across the country,” said USA Cricket.

USA Cricket’s intention is to employ both full-time and part-time staff in the near future in the Zones, however, “we feel it is important to hire such paid staff under the leadership of the newly elected Board and those roles will help to bridge the gap until USA Cricket can hire people for these positions.”

USA Cricket has introduced the cricket coach education program in efforts to promote the game of cricket in the United States as the International Cricket Council (ICC) has wanted to streamline the sport in the U.S.

The post Indiana University is promoting cricket on its campus appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – When I look up at the December sky, I am reminded of Chinese paintings in their finest silks. I see brushstrokes, dipped in pigments, etching the skies in bluish-grey branches and misty clouds like cotton balls, soft upon tree-tops with the country-side, thread-bare and hidden in a silent dream.

The winter light – pale, weak and low-angled illumination – skittles through the landscape like an inside song. With not a leaf on the tree, the light surges in waves of gentle promise that although shadows of darkness may fall quicker and for more prolonged hours, the brief hours of lighting is graciously poised in magic. The Yule-tide magic.

According to ancient Chinese scholars, what the Chinese calligraphists did not want to utter in words, they sketched them out in light ink. And as the year closes, it appears, as if the world over, the hallowed words of “peace and good-will to men” pour through the skies in calligraphies of incandescent light.

The blooms of summer have faded away. Instead what swirls into vision are tiny birds, scouring for seeds among fallen leaves and the herds of deer, staggering in the forests for a nibble of the wood and greens. And, sometimes, if you are lucky, the red fox stands right on the roadway, turning to stare at you in your car, and then sprinting off in a trot – making you believe you were in a fairy-tale were it not for the sordid stories of President Trump and his band of men.

This bombast around whether or not the Christmas greeting is appropriate seems rather misplaced to me. Christmas is about littleness, about hiding in poverty and humility, about the sorrow of the outcast, the leper and the sick, not about kingship and heavy-booted authority.

No number of “Merry Christmases” can bury the white collar violence of taxing the poor, depriving shelter from the desperate, drawing wedges between communities, and taking cover off from the sick.

It is hypocrisy, rank and clear.

Even as the inchoate tax bill passed the Senate last weekend, there was nothing but a celestial suggestion of scintillating mystery wrapped around the town when the last super-moon of 2017 hung low over the western skies and its tender, rosy gleam, dabbled the twinkling holiday lights on roof tops with an indulgent glow.

The moon, the strung lights and the little animals seemed to smile, secretly aware of the whispers of an epiphany, unknown to me.

In 2015, a John Lewis Christmas ad had an old man on the moon looking out to sparkling blue earth, through a telescope, where trees, bells and houses seemed to glisten and shimmer bright in comparison to the cold, listless and monochromatic moon. And indeed, from space our cities look like a spray of stars, with no borders, no lines, no walls, neither guns nor bombs. Life seems doused in harmony and joy.

And quite naturally, in such a fabled world such as this, the quaint Nativity Story of three Bedouin shepherds, with their flock of sheep, wading through the deserts, looking across the spans of the velvet skies for a bright star to illumine their way home is a believable anecdote recurring in the hearts of every human being, every single year.

In Martin Scorsese’s film, Silence, faith is perceived as a riddle shrouded in mystery as the protagonist struggles through a journey of absolute arrogance to sacrifice of pride toward spiritual truth, as old certainties fade away and are rebuilt on unfamiliar grounds. He seems to suggest that a life of faith is not real unless it is also raked in with despair.

It is as elegant and beautiful as that hymn: Lead kindly Light, amid th’ encircling gloom….keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene – one step enough for me.

For no matter how rough the year has been, when December comes, our thoughts turn inadvertently to love, renewal and hope.

So, beyond the disappointing news of the day, there lie the angelic furls of wonder, outside and within our lives.

In the hazy light of dawn, dancing and swaying from tree-tops, our hearts slowly awaken for an apparition of a miracle, amidst the parched and slumbering earth.

I remember one Christmas morning, waking up to the sight of the dogwood tree in front of our house, crowded with dozens of turtle doves, cooing in the cold, puffing up their feathers, lightly coated with snow.

Painting and poetry were subtly fused in the movement of the birds, the snow and the misty trees. And the hush quiet of the aesthetic inevitably opened to the doors of the sublime.

The gift of the birds, the snow and the tree dressed in elegant simplicity was a sight I promised would never fade away even when the harsh north winds blew in the old melancholy.

But years flow like water and everything passes by in a whim before our eyes. The world catches and harnesses us; only the light, elusive and playful, like dandelions in the wind beckons us to look to the skies and believe.

And the words of the blind Argentinian poet, Jorge Luis Borges, endure through the season: The unforgiving earth is my affliction…nevertheless, it means much to have loved, to have been happy, to have laid my hand on the living Garden, even for one day.

It is similar to the fragrant faith of a Chinese poet, who would leave the bamboo reeds, untrimmed by his beloved’s window, because “when the grass and flowers are all gone, it will be beautiful under the falling snow-flakes.”

(Poppy Mookerjee is a journalist and a writer for more than a decade with American and Indian publications)

The post It’s December: time for Christmas, love, renewal and hope appeared first on News India Times.

Indian American Sima Patel, the chairwoman of California Travel and Tourism Commission and the CEO of Ridgemont Hospitality, recently visited India on behalf of Visit California’s attempts to lure Indians to the state through digital marketing.

While she was in Delhi and Mumbai, Patel spoke about promoting California as an “affluent, chic and luxury destination among well-heeled Indian travelers,” adding that about 3,000 Indians visit California annually and spend over $700 million, which she hopes will cross $1 billion by 2020.

“This is our first entry into the B2C market. The digital platform is a highly efficient medium. We work closely with Google, Facebook and YouTube because they all have their headquarters in California. We see a lot of opportunities to coordinate our digital initiative with them,” Caroline Beteta, the president and CEO of Visit California, told TravelBiz Monitor.

Beteta also told TravelBiz Monitor that Visit California will be identifying “brand ambassadors” and “social influencers” in the market to communicate “the messages that resonates the experiences and the level of comfort Indian travelers” can look at in California through these digital platforms.

Visit California also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Producers Guild of India to encourage more Indian film producers to shoot their movies in Californian locations, so at least the Indian movie stars can visit California.

Patel has achieved quite a bit for a Gujarati woman from back in the day, “typically within the Gujarati community, women were not taken seriously back in those days and even today many don’t recognize my achievements,” Patel, 54, told the Economic Times.

Being the wife of a motel owner and having worked in the motel since she came to the United states in 1979, Patel loves to speak about her heritage and her early days, “I am part of all important decisions, including new project development, financing and choosing construction companies. I am the driver and visionary,” she told the Economic Times adding how she moved to her current position within the family business.

She also feels that by having a woman in charge at Ridgemont, the company has an edge over other Gujarati-owned hospitality businesses in the U.S.

The company has just started their biggest project so far, a greenfield, 121-room Hampton Inn in downtown Oakland, near San Francisco, a project which Patel herself initiated.

The post Indian American helps with Visit California’s India mission appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – Two Indian Americans, Mona Patel and Samir Lakhani, have been selected among 10, to be honored at the “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” on Sunday, Dec. 17.

In 1990, Patel was struck by a drunken driver at the age of 17 when she was walking to class at Cal Poly University and “flew up about 12 feet” when she was pinned between the “car and a metal railing” which “smashed my leg and my foot,” she told CNN.

Patel had to undergo her first amputation when she got out of the ICU weeks later, which was just the start of “seven years’ worth of surgeries in attempts to salvage the rest of her leg.”

Since then she has earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, and became a social worker, though she has come a long way as she has continued to struggle physically with her disability.

She also struggled to find a support group for amputees and decided that she would start one very soon, and sure enough she has founded the San Antonio Amputee Foundation, which aims to help amputees rebuild their lives by offering peer support, education and recreation opportunities, as well as financial assistance for basic home and car modifications along with prosthetic limbs.

Every month, 30 to 60 amputees get together to shares stories and testimonies of strength and resilience and Patel estimates that more than 1,100 amputees have attended the meetings.

“When somebody becomes an amputee, maneuvering through the system is sometimes just scary. I think the big catalyst of me doing what I do to help the amputee community is because I lived it,” she said.

Patel also leads health and fitness programs and sponsors amputees to participate in tennis tournaments and endurance climbs including one to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2015.

In 2014, while then a college student, Samir Lakhani was volunteering in a Cambodian village and saw “a mother bathing her newborn in a basin filled with laundry powder and water” which he will never forget.

He then realized that his hotel was throwing away barely-used bars of soap after their customers left and thought if he recycled them and gave it to people who were actually in need of them then it would save the soap and give it a second life.

So while attending the University of Pittsburgh, Lakhani started the Eco-Soap Bank which is a nonprofit that recycles discarded bars of soap from hotels in Cambodia and distributes it to people in need.

Today, the organization has four recycling centers across the country, providing jobs to 35 local women.

The used bars are sanitized and remolded into new bars or melted down into liquid soap and so far, more than 650,000 people have benefited from the group’s soap and hygiene education.

“What I love most is that we are killing three birds with one stone. We are keeping waste out of landfills, employing locals and spreading soap all over the country,” Lakhani told CNN

This will be the 11th year that CNN honors 10 people who work to improve the world through their emotional stories.

People can vote for “CNN Hero of the Year” online and the winner will receive $100,000 for their cause.

The post Two Indian Americans among “CNN Hero of the Year” appeared first on News India Times.

The Marathi Vishwa of New Jersey recently presented a special Marathi play entitled Sakhar Khallela Manus, which was performed by Marathi award-winning actor Prashant Damle and his team of actors from Pune.

The show was performed at West Windsor Plainsboro High School in New Jersey, in late October for the Marathi communities of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The play, directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni, is about a middle aged man who is living with diabetes and shows how the disease affects the relationships in both his family and personal lives, focusing on the intense relationship between father and daughter.

“I am so grateful to Marathi Vishwa for their efforts and for their love of live dramas. The characters in this play are very similar to those we live with which is why many people can relate to and understand our scenes,” said Damle, who has been performing on stage for more than 30 years.

Damle added that his role as the short tempered husband who releases spurts of insults at times, was challenging as he is not used to playing or portraying this kind of character on TV or films.

Along with Damle. the play also featured actress Shubhangi Gokhale, the main character’s wife, TV star Sankarshan Karhade, the main character’s potential son-in-law and Rucha Apte, the main character’s daughter.

“It’s a very realistic drama and what is shown on stage is what families experience on a daily bases,” Damle told the press after his performance, adding that when performing live, a person needs to be much more energetic, which is why plays are more challenging for him.

Founded by Mr. and Mrs. Chandrakant Yande, Marathi Vishwa of New Jersey will be celebrating 40 years next year.

“We are so excited to be part of the 40th celebration next year. It is something that none of us ever could imagine would be happening,” said Mrs. Yande, in a statement.

“I’ve followed Prashant Damle for years. Even when I go to Pune, I always try to watch his dramas. He is the pride of Maharashtra and Marathi Vishwa is so proud to have him perform in New Jersey,” added Mrs. Yande.

The sold out play ran all over the nation in October and November.

The post Marathi actor Prashant Damle wows Indian American audiences appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – Indian American Stacey Patel of Satellite Beach, Florida, is running to become the Florida Democratic Party chair.

According to Floridapolitics.com, Patel has been touring the state and has “a goal of raising $2,500 for our campaign, and identifying 250 pledges of monthly donations and 250 volunteer pledges.”

“So far our movement has swelled to nearly 1,400 members on Facebook, 118 campaign donors who’ve given over $6,000, 255 pledged monthly contributors who will give over $41,000 per year upon our election, and 252 pledged monthly volunteers who will work nearly 30,000 hours per year, or the equivalent of about $450,000 a year in labor,” Patel told Florida Today.

Her campaign is being called a grass-roots “This Is #OurParty” movement and she wants to encourage other Democrats to invest in the political process and win elections.

Florida Today stated that Patel’s objectives are: giving the party back to the people, which is funded by the people, rather than large corporations and spreading “the power of the few to the many by giving our grass-roots the training, tools, technology and transparency they need in order to understand and fully engage in the party.”

“Rules that have, for too long, consolidated the governing control of our party in the hands of a few must be surrendered to make way for true democracy. Those who feel real ownership of our party will also feel inspired to knock the doors and make the calls we will need to hold onto our seat in the Senate and take back the governor’s mansion,” Patel told Florida Today.

“Let’s build a party that is funded by the people and is really for the people. It’s also time to wrestle ourselves free of the massive overhead of consulting firms who profit from both parties and benefit financially whether we win or lose,” she added.

According to Medium.com, Patel is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz School of Public Policy and has over 20 years of diverse professional experience in organizational transformation, social media fundraising, project management, small business ownership, non-profit leadership, and performing arts administration.

Patel’s opponents include Hillsborough County lawyer Alma Gonzalez, Palm Beach County activist Terrie Rizzo and state president of the Service Employees International Union Monica Russo.

The election for Florida Democratic Party chair is scheduled for Dec. 9 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando.

The post Indian American running for Democratic Party chair in Florida appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – Two Indian American investment bankers Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman have opened up a Chipotle-style Indian restaurant in New York City called RASA.

The name of the fast food, casual restaurant is not only a combination of both of their names ‘RASA,’ but also means “essence or taste” in Sanskrit.

“There is this perception that Indian food is unhealthy or heavy, or filled with butter. We are excited to show people that is not the case. It is very clean and healthy food. It is just in the way you prepare it,” Rahman, 26, told PTI.

“What is awesome about Indian food and it is just so diverse. There is such a variety in flavors. People think oh it’s just spicy but there are so many delicious sweet dishes. There’s so much from the north to the south that you can pull from,” added Vinod, 27.

Rahman and Vinod are childhood friends and both are the sons of longtime business partners: Surfy Rahman and Chef K. N. Vinod.

After finishing college and obtaining good jobs in New York City, the two friends decided that it was high-time they “work on their dream to popularize Indian food and its benefits in an American way” as it has been such an important “part of their childhood and upbringing.”

“Bringing RASA to life is the realization of a childhood dream and an amazing opportunity for us to share our culture and cuisine with our community and city,” Rahman told PTI.

“Since we started, our vision has been to make Indian cuisine accessible, and we are excited to open diners minds to new worlds offering unique, high-quality, and chef-driven meals at a $10 price point,” Vinod added.

The post Two Indian American investment bankers start fast food restaurant in New York appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – Indian American Sheela Bringi, an instrumentalist and vocalist, combines Hindustani classical and devotional music with American blues and jazz, using various instruments including the harp, piano, bansuri (an Indian bamboo flute) and harmonium.

Having been classically trained with musicians in India as well as learning classical Indian music from her parents when she was a child, Bringi starts each of her concerts with a prayer to Goddess Sarasvati, the Hindu deity of music and learning, on the harp.

Goddess Sarasvati is important to her because the both of them share a similar instrument, “the stringed instrument that she plays when you see her depicted in a painting or statute is called the ‘veena,’ and what’s special to me is that the veena, in its ancient form, was actually a harp,” Bringi told NBC.

The harp first came into her life when her godmother gifted one to her when she was 14 and that is when she realized that with the harp she “had the ability to enchant people and bring them together.”

Living in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bringi grew up in a “musical household” both of her parents were trained in classical Indian music, who wanted her to explore the arts.

Bringi told NBC that “music was a refuge growing up and it helped her connect to her ancestral roots and take others on a journey of self-discovery.”

Music also helped her feel at ease and comfortable in her own skin and helped her better embrace her identity as an Indian-American woman and daughter of immigrants.

“I think part of the reason I threw myself into music when I was young was because it was a very difficult environment to grow up in when you’re the only person of color in school. There were a lot of ignorance and racism, and being made fun of by other kids,” she said.

Her mom, who was her first instructor, taught her many of the traditional devotional songs (bhajans) and was trained in Carnatic music and Sanskrit mantra chanting, she began vocal and piano lessons at the age of 5.

As a teenager, she trained in Hindustani classical music from North India under the instruction of Pandit G.S Sachdev and Ustad Aashish Khan, and continues to study the style with Sri Subhashish Mukhopadyay.

Bringi listened to Asian Underground, a British and Canadian blend of dance music with the styles of South Asia and was also influenced by singer-songwriter M.I.A., Norah Jones, sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, and jazz trumpeters Miles Davis and Jon Hassell.

One day while at a friend’s wedding, Bringi became interested in jazz and wanted to find a way to connect the two different styles of music, adding that having the exposure to both “has allowed her to collaborate with many people and speak music in ‘two languages.’”

“Being Indian and American, and a musician, I try to put the two things together. I try to build something new without losing contact to the traditional source. It might fall down, but for me, it’s important to try” Bringi told NBC.

“I think part of the reason I threw myself into music when I was young was because it was a very difficult environment to grow up in when you’re the only person of color in school,” she added.

Bringi released her debut album titled “Incantations” in 2014 and her second album “Shakti Sutra,” which is a mix of ancient Indian mantras and ragas with soulful rhythms, released two years later.

Her music features devotional songs and tributes to fierce warrior Hindu goddesses with a focus on the mystical and the themes she explored were the triumph of light over darkness, the nature of reality and the mind and the mystical nature of creativity and transcendence.

Currently, Bringi is busy working on her “Hindustani Harp Project,” which challenges her to play Indian ragas on the harp, her goal is to bridge both of her worlds together.

The post Indian American harpist Sheela Bringi fuses Indian classical music with American jazz appeared first on News India Times.

Land

In honor of the royal engagement, Trafalgar is taking 10 percent off two of its London tours. The eight-day London Explorer, which visits London, Windsor and Oxford, starts at $2,385 per person double; the nine-day Delights of London and Paris starts at $2,605. Both trips include premium accommodations, multiple meals, transportation and taxes. As a bonus, the tour operator will throw in afternoon tea for two (valued at $136) at the Milestone, a five-star hotel across from Kensington Palace. Book by Dec. 11. Several departures in 2018. Info: 866-513-1995, trafalgar.com/usa

Visit Santa Barbara has teamed up with several of the California area’s hotels to offer deals on travel through March 31. With the Revive and Thrive offer, get at least 20 percent off at 17 hotels and resorts. For example, book a Friday and Saturday night at Hotel Santa Barbara and receive Sunday night free; three nights in early March costs $500, including taxes, a savings of $199. With the deal, guests also receive the Miss Nothing Experience Kit, which includes five tokens good for discounts at 21 wineries, restaurants, retailers, tour providers and attractions. Blackout dates and other restrictions vary. Info: 805-966-9222, santabarbaraca.com/revive-sb

Sea

Save $500 on select barge cruises in Europe with CroisiEurope Cruises. For example, the seven-day Provence on the Canal du Rhone trip, which sails from Sete to Arles, France, starts at $2,738 per person double. Depart April 13. Price includes meals, drinks, excursions, WiFi and taxes. Book by Dec. 31. Info: 800-768-7232, croisieuroperivercruises.com

Windstar Cruises is offering shipboard credits on sailings of at least 14 nights. Get $400 per passenger for 14 to 21 nights, $600 for 22 to 29 nights and $1,000 for 30 nights or more. Prices vary. For example, the 16-night Aleutians & North Pacific Crossing, which departs Sept. 10, 2018, and sails from Alaska to Tokyo, starts at $2,597 per person double, including port charges and fees. The $400 credit applies. Book by Dec. 15. Info: 866-273-0961, windstarcruises.com/unexpected

Air

Icelandair has a sale fare to several European destinations, including Brussels, London, Oslo and Glasgow, Scotland. Round-trip airfare from New York’s JFK or Newark to Helsinki starts at $323; fare to Berlin starts at $395, including taxes. Book by Sunday; travel Jan. 7-March 27 (restrictions may vary per city). Other airlines are charging twice as much. Info: icelandair.us/special-offer

Aer Lingus has extended its sale on fares from Washington to Europe. For example, nonstop flights from Washington Dulles to Paris start at $566 round trip, including taxes; other airlines are matching. Travel Jan. 8-March 31; blackout dates apply. Saturday-night stay required. Book by 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at aerlingus.com

Package

The 10-night Amazing Vietnam tour with World Spree Travel now starts at $1,799 per person double. The tour includes air from Washington to Hanoi, with return from Ho Chi Minh City; flights from Hanoi to Danang and from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City; nine nights’ lodging in Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City; daily breakfasts and one dinner; overnight cruise on Halong Bay with three meals; land transportation; several tours; airport transfers; and taxes. Cheapest price applies to the Sept. 9 and Sept. 16 departures. Booked separately, the trip costs about $2,280. Info: 866-652-5656, worldspree.com.

THE WASHINGTON POST

The post Travel deals: An airfare sale to Europe and a London special honors the royal engagement appeared first on News India Times.

Several members of the American Hindu Coalition (AHC) and other Indian-Americans were part of the large delegation that accompanied Ivank Trump, advisor to President Trump, during the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in Hyderabad, Nov. 28-30.

The AHC members  to the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) were Srilekha Palle, Manikya Lakhsmi Linga, Sujwala Puttagunta, Radhika Guntur, and Alok Srivastava, according to a Dec. 4, press release from AHC. The 2017 GES is the first GES focused on the theme “Women First Prosperity For All” and also the first GES to be hosted in India jointly with the U.S.

The U.S. delegation to the GES, which was put together by the State Department, was the largest of all the 150 countries that attended, and the gathering featured celebrity speeches, paparazzi, politicians as well as politicians-in-the-making, and global business elites.

“I want to thank the U.S. business leaders who have traveled all the way to Hyderabad for this inspiring event. I also want to congratulate the more than 350 American entrepreneurs who were selected to be here with us to represent America’s brightest talent,”   Ivanka Trump, chair of the US delegation, is quoted saying in the press release.

“The AHC members of the US delegation were active participants in the GES 2017 conferences proceedings as well as the pre-summit and post-summit networking events,” the AHC said. It’s members participated in a conference on precision medicine presented by executives from major hospitals and other stakeholders and hosted by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh. They were also participants in a conference on US- India Strategic Forum with U.S. corporate participation, including Amazon and CISCO executives, the AHC said.

The post American Hindu Coalition joined Ivanka Trump’s delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit appeared first on News India Times.

Superstar Aamir Khan-starrer “Dangal” was on Wednesday named the Best Asian Film at the 7th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards.

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, a member of the Grand Jury for Best Asian Film, on Wednesday tweeted: “‘Dangal’ wins Best Asian Film at AACTA. Congratulations Team ‘Dangal’.”

The jury was chaired by actor Russell Crowe.

Shabana tweeted a photograph with Crowe, and wrote: “It was a unanimous decision.”
“Dangal”, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is a biographical sports drama film.

It is inspired by the lives of the Phogat family members, telling the story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, an amateur wrestler, who trains his daughters Geeta and Babita to become India’s first worldclass female wrestlers.

The film stars Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Zaira Wasim, Sakshi Tanwar and Suhani Bhatnagar.

Actor Anupam Kher attended the red carpet of the AACTA.

The post ‘Dangal’ Wins Best Film At Australian Gala appeared first on News India Times.

Vinod Kapri’s “Pihu” has won two awards at the 14th Trans-Saharan International Film Festival at Zagora in Morocco.

“I can’t express my happiness… A single character film, that too a two-year-old, creating waves in the international film festival circuit is something very special for all of us,” Kapri said in a statement.

“When I conceived this film, there were many apprehensions. Many people told me this is impossible film. How can you do 100 minute film with a two year old ? But I believe that you should always go by your conviction… This is the reason that now ‘Pihu’ is all over,” he added.

“Pihu”, a social thriller, revolves around a two-year-old girl who gets into an unexpected situation where she is all by herself. It is based on a true incident.

The film won the Grand Prize of Best Feature Film in international competition category and Best Film People’s Choice award at the gala, which wrapped up on December 3.

“I would like to thank my producer late Kirshan Kumar who stood behind me, when no one supported my story,” he added.

The post ‘Pihu’ Wins Two Awards At Morocco Film Fest appeared first on News India Times.

Even though Indian-Americans are possibly the highest-earning group in this country, a latest survey shows they are far from immune from discriminatory treatment on several fronts in their lives. While many surveys have explored Americans’ beliefs about discrimination, this survey which includes more than 500 Indian-Americans, and conducted by Harvard, asks people about their own personal experiences with discrimination.

Some interesting observations have surfaced on housing and alleged police discrimination of Indian-Americans on the sidelines of a larger survey of 3,453 people, on employment and housing discrimination. The report on Asian-Americans brought out Dec. 4, about which News India Times spoke to the co-director of the study at Harvard University, is part of a series, “Discrimination in America” done for the Harvard School of Public Health as well as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and National Public Radio. The report on Asian-Americans brought out Dec. 4, about which News India Times spoke to the co-director of the study at Harvard University, is part of a series, “Discrimination in America” done for the Harvard School of Public Health as well as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and National Public Radio and is based on a nationwide random sample of 3,453 Americans. The poll was conducted between Jan. 26 and April 9.

Indian-Americans

Overall, at least one in four, or a quarter if not more, of Asian-Americans in the survey said they had felt discrimination in housing and employment.

Nevertheless, Indian-Americans are more likely (33 percent) than both Chinese-Americans (16 percent) and Southeast Asian-Americans (11 percent) to say they live in a predominantly upper income area.

At the same time, Indian-Americans are much more likely than Chinese-Americans to report unfair police treatment. When asked whether they believe they or a family member had experienced unfair treatment by the police or by the court system because they are Asian, Indian-Americans are significantly more likely (17 percent) than Chinese-Americans (2 percent) to say they or a family member have been unfairly stopped or treated by the police because they are Asian (see Chart 2).

“The income issue, is the really big finding,” survey co-director Robert Blendon of Harvard, told News India Times. Blendon, who is the Richard L. Menschel Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explained why. “That’s because of the whole idea that you work your way through the American system, get yourself a great education, get high paying jobs or build businesses, and you think the problems of discrimination will go away. … But they don’t.”

This includes housing issues. “When it comes to discrimination, I expect that if I live in a different neighborhood, I will have a different life. And I don’t,” Blendon said emphasizing each word to make the stark contrast.

Vivek Wadhwa, an academic, researcher, writer and entrepreneur, told News India Times, things are different from one region to another. “In North Carolina, You could feel and see the discrimination.” When he approached investors in Raleigh, “They would talk to me as ‘you people’, meaning Indian-Americans in a derogatory way,” he said. Now in Silicon Valley, California, he laughs, “It’s positive discrimination,” in favor of Indian-Americans.

Police Treatment

Overall, 12 percent of Asian-Americans say that they or a family member have been unfairly stopped or treated by the police based on their race. Chart 1 shows the overall reporting of Asian-Americans’ experiences of discrimination across a range of areas of life. A quarter or more of Asian- Americans report being personally discriminated against because they are Asian when it comes to applying for jobs (27 percent), being paid equally or considered for promotion (25 percent), or when trying to rent a room or apartment or buy a house (25 percent).

Additionally, nearly one in five Asian- Americans report being discriminated against because they are Asian when applying to or while attending college (19 percent) or when interacting with police (18 percent) (Chart 1). Blendon said the size of the sample did not allow for getting statistically significant conclusions for Indian- Americans in the category of college attendance. “Because we did six groups, we had the same problem, the numbers are not large enough to go beyond the Asian American group,” except in the area of police treatment and housing, he noted.

Racial Slurs

Some one-third of Asian-Americans have experienced slurs or insensitive comments about their race or ethnicity. Chart 3 shows that 35 percent of Asian-Americans report personally experiencing people making insensitive or offensive comments or expressing negative assumptions about their race or ethnicity. Similarly, 32 percent report personally experiencing slurs because of their race or ethnicity, the report shows.

Additionally, non-immigrant Asian Americans are more than three times as likely (20 percent) as immigrant Asian Americans (6 percent) to say they have experienced violence because they are Asian, and more than twice as likely to say they have been threatened or non-sexually harassed because they are Asian (36 percent non-immigrant, 15 percent immigrant) (Chart 4).

Income & Healthcare

An important finding was that nearly one in five low income Asian Americans avoid medical care due to concern they will be discriminated against because they are Asian. While survey data revealed that 13 percent of all Asian Americans say they have been personally discriminated against because they are Asian when going to a doctor or health clinic, nearly one in ten (9 percent) Asian Americans say they have avoided going to a doctor or seeking health care out of concern that they would be discriminated against or treated poorly because they are Asian.

For policymakers and healthcare deliverers, the most significant finding was that 19 percent of low income Asian-Americans (those earning less than $25,000) reported they avoid medical care because of concerns over discrimination, compared to 5 percent of high income Asian-Americans (those earning $75,000 or more per year).

The post Affluence is no shield against racial or ethnic discrimination, say Asians and Indian-Americans in new poll appeared first on News India Times.

The post Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani commends News India Times’ coverage appeared first on News India Times.

On the Ground in India: Perspectives from American India Foundation’s Clinton Fellows*

Back in the middle of October, I began doing field work for my project with the Foundation for Social Transformation: Enabling Northeast India (FST) in Guwahati, Assam. As part of my work plan, 100 surveys would need to be administered, interviews from girls in both the school and community completed and analyzed by the end of November.  The data collected would be used in a community assessment that includes the socio-economic and health status, as well as interests of adolescent girls living in the Bhaskar Nagar slum community. This information is intended to help inform the life-skills program that I am designing, and will be useful in future projects that my host organization decides to implement in this community. Through my past jobs and experiences, I have had lots of opportunities navigating unique field environments. Through those experiences I’ve come to know that no two environments are exactly the same, but the challenges of doing field work are universal.

My lens of doing data collection in the slum is through that of socio-economic inquiry, focusing mainly on the people and the issues they face, and this is what I expected to encounter during the field visits. What I failed to prepare for was the issue of poor infrastructure and haphazard spatial patterns of the environment in which they live. In Guwahati, the slum environment has of constant build up in the drains/sewers, copious amounts of pollution, close vicinity to a dumping ground, poor maintenance of structures, and inadequate sanitation in/near living spaces. Furthermore, due to the rapid migration into the city, paired with the rising costs of living, more and more people have been settling in the slums, leading to overcrowding of the small living spaces available. These environmental factors have influenced the plan for data collection, and so adjustment and flexibility were required, mostly on my part.

Accompanying me to the field were my co-workers and local college interns, and although I couldn’t conduct the surveys myself due to language constraints, I was there to write observations of the interviews and to mitigate any unforeseen complications related to data collection. To me, the most poignant observation of working in the slum, of doing field work in this specific context, is the lack of space. When I say space, I mean in terms of physical, social, and personal.

What I’ve noticed was the lack of space to interview a girl. The lack of space to hear her without a million other voices telling her what to say. The lack of space for girls to congregate outside of the home, with all the available public spaces being occupied by males. The lack of social space for a girl to claim her independence. The lack of safe spaces to move, to navigate in her own community, and the prohibition and avoidance of being outside after the sun goes down. Even the school playground on which I thought would be a safe place to conduct the activities, has not been maintained, and the conditions are dismal. All of these things are disheartening, and something I wish I could change on my own. Despite growing up in a multi-generational household myself, and sharing a room for most of my adolescent life, I at least had a space to call my own in my home, which is something that is a luxury in this context.

During the first field visit to test out the questionnaire that I had put together, I gained a better understanding of the space constraints. We were huddled in one of the alleys, while my colleague asked a girl if she could interview her for the project. She gave her consent, but two ladies who were nearby, started to creep closer to see what was happening. As we were in a public area, lots of people who walked by had stopped, stared, and listened in on the conversation. I wasn’t even the one getting interviewed, and I started to feel uncomfortable. A crowd started to form, with about five other women, two children, and a man nearby who was asked politely to leave, but didn’t go very far. My co-worker was trying to get the girl to open up, but the women kept interrupting, telling the girl what to say, and adding their own opinion, from what I had observed and what I was told later in our debrief session.

During the following field visits, the interns were faced with that same issue of lack of privacy and spaces to conduct the interview without external distractions. The girls were unable to be interviewed without the influence of her parents or friends who stood near. Crowds formed wherever we interviewed the girls, but most people were more curious than resistant to our presence, fortunately.  Even in the school, where I could observe the Class 9 girls getting interviewed, there were constant interruptions from their friends who were waiting nearby. However, at least in the school, I was told the girls were a lot more open with their answers and more honest about their home environment, compared to the girls that were interviewed in the community.

In my mind, the lack of privacy was not only frustrating, but also concerning in terms of how much of the data was being compromised by external forces. Back home, where it is easier to enforce confidentiality and interviews could be conducted behind closed doors of an office or inside a home, this has been something I needed to think about. Furthermore, as this phase of my project nears completion, it brings about the next challenge on what physical space I will have to conduct the actual life skills sessions, and finding where there is a safe place for the girls to play the sport and do physical activities. As my mentor N. Goswami put it, “There is no privacy in the slums, no such thing as personal space.” So this will be the next task for me to tackle, in finding and creating a space for the female adolescents of this slum community.

About the Author
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, Janelle is a licensed social worker with a specialty of developing children and families. After receiving her Masters in Social Work from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, she joined the United States Peace Corps as a Youth in Development Volunteer, and was placed in the rural Phayao province of Thailand. Her proudest accomplishment during her service, was running a girls empowerment program that included participants from all over the Northern region of Thailand. Previous work experience include working for the Hawaii State Legislature as a Legislative Aide, Special Activities Coordinator for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), and an Education Paraprofessional in Hawai’i public schools. Janelle has a breadth of experiences abroad, including a semester in London and completing an intensive practicum in Baguio, Philippines. She has a strong interest in empowering the youth and hopes to apply her skills to help the youth of India.

*A previous version of this article was originally published on 11/24/2017 at American India Foundation.

AIF’s William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India builds the next generation of leaders committed to lasting change for underprivileged communities across India, while strengthening the civil sector.

The post Searching for Space in the Slum Community appeared first on News India Times.

Land

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Snowmass ski resort in Colorado is selling lift tickets for the same price as on opening day. To score the 1967 price of $6.50, book at least one night at a Stay Aspen Snowmass property. Prices vary. For example, a Viceroy Snowmass studio that sleeps two costs $559 per night, with taxes. Valid only on Dec. 15. Ski tickets normally start at $155. In addition, several bars and restaurants are offering $19.67 and $50 prix-fixe menus. Info: stayaspensnowmass.com/specials/celebrate-snowmass-50th-anniversary

The Emerson Resort & Spa, in New York’s Catskills, has winter packages with a free third night, spa credit and discounted lift tickets. The Ski, Spa & Stay Midweek starts at $595 for three nights for two guests and includes a free third night, $100 spa credit, discounted Belleayre lift ticket vouchers for $32 each ($56 if purchased at ski resort), Hunter lift ticket vouchers for $50 each (normally $75) and taxes. Valid Sunday-Thursday as long as the ski mountains are open. The Ski, Spa & Stay Weekends deal starts at $540, a savings of 20 percent, and includes two nights’ lodging, $100 spa voucher, Belleayre lift ticket for $47 (vs. $68), Hunter lift ticket for $64 (vs. $85) and taxes. Stay Friday-Saturday through December. Blackout holiday dates apply. Info: 845-688-2828, emersonresort.com

Ski resorts in 19 states are offering special deals in January to celebrate Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. For example, on every Tuesday, Jack Frost/Big Boulder in Blakeslee, Pa., is offering a Learn to Ski/Ride Package for participants ages 13 and older for $25. The package, which includes lesson, equipment rental and beginner lift ticket, usually is $80. Info: skiandsnowboardmonth.org/special-programs/special-offers

Sea

Paul Gauguin Cruises is offering shipboard credits of up to $500 for select staterooms on its 2018 and 2019 South Pacific sailings. For example, a category C or D stateroom on a seven-night Tahiti & Society Islands cruise qualifies for a $250 credit; a category B or above stateroom on a 10-night Society Islands & Tuamotus voyage receives $500. Prices vary. For example, a balcony stateroom on the seven-night Tahiti & Society Islands cruise departing May 12 starts at $7,195 per person double (plus $139 port charges); price includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles. Book by Dec. 31. Info: 800-848-6172, pgcruises.com/BGE2017

Air

Aeromexico has sale fares from Washington Dulles to Mexico City starting at $406 round trip. Travel through March 15. Other airlines are matching. Seven-day minimum stay required. Book by Dec. 10 at aeromexico.com

Alaska Airlines has a sale on flights from Washington to the West Coast. For example, round-trip air from Reagan National to Los Angeles starts at $276; air from Washington Dulles to Seattle starts at $316, including taxes. Book by Dec. 11 at alaskaair.com; 21-day advance purchase required. Travel Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from Jan. 9-Feb. 14. Other airlines are matching.

Package

Monograms is discounting four March departures of a six-night trip to Italy by more than $400 per person. The package now starts at $1,699 per person double and includes round-trip air from Washington to Rome, with return from Venice; two nights at NH Collection Giustiniano in Rome; two nights at the Athenaeum Personal Hotel in Rome; two nights at Hotel Abbazia in Venice; high-speed train from Rome to Florence and from Florence to Venice; breakfasts; several tours; airport transfers; and taxes. Book by Dec. 31. Info: 866-270-9841, www.monograms.com/Booking/Monograms/Wanderlist.aspx

THE WASHINGTON POST

The post Travel deals: Ski Snowmass for the 1967 price, and an airfare sale to Mexico City appeared first on News India Times.

NEW DELHI – Rahul Gandhi, who is putting up a spirited campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat, was on Monday elected the President of the Congress, taking over from his mother who had helmed the country’s oldest party for 19 long years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his political bete noire and wished him a fruitful tenure.

“I congratulate Rahul Ji on his election as Congress President. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure,” Modi tweeted.

The 47-year-old Rahul will formally take over the reins of the grand old party on December 16, two days before the counting of votes for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, the outcome of which could be a trendsetter ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Congress leader and returning officer Mullappally Ramachandran told the media that a total of 89 nomination papers proposing the name of Rahul Gandhi for Congress President were received. All the nomination papers were found valid.

“Since the withdrawal date and time is over and as there is only one candidate, as per Article XVIII(d) of the Constitution of Indian National Congress, I hereby declare Rahul Gandhi elected as President of the Indian National Congress,” he said.

Marking a generational shift, Rahul Gandhi will be the sixth Nehru-Gandhi scion to helm the party, taking over from his mother Sonia Gandhi who steered it through an era during which it was in power from 2004 to 2014.

“This is a historic occasion. The handing over of the certificate of election is scheduled to be held on December 16 at 11 a.m.,” Ramachandran said.

He said Rahul Gandhi was a stickler for rules and was particular about ensuring that the elections were conducted in a transparent and meaningful manner.

“Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi never interfered with the election authority. We were given complete freedom to execute the onerous responsibility,” he said.

He also said: “We place on record the exemplary guidance and support given by Sonia Gandhiji and Rahul Gandhiji. At the first meeting of the Central Election Authority Sonia Gandhiji had given us only one mandate i.e. to conduct free, fair and transparent election, keeping in view the high traditions and heritage of Congress.

“The only request that Soniaji placed before us was that women, weaker sections and youth should be given adequate representation,” Ramachandran added.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said: “Whole nation has a lot of expectations from Rahul Gandhi. He has shown his mettle much before he was elected the president. He knows his responsibility well and has shown this in Gujarat.”

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “An aspirational leader, whose most endearing quality is his ‘sincerity’ and ‘sense of purpose’ takes over as new President of the Congress.”

“Congress, its workers are ready to take on new challenges, traverse new heights and serve the nation,” he added.

Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra also congratulated him on becoming the party chief and said it is the “dawn of a new era” and a “proud moment for all in the family”.

“My best wishes to @OfficeOfRG on becoming @INCIndia President,” Vadra tweeted.

Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken addressing mediapersons said “only time will tell what will be his role as party president”. He also added that the programme for the handing over ceremony scheduled on December 16 will be released later.

It is expected that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, current and former Chief Ministers, senior Congress leaders, and all PCC chiefs and delegates will be present at the handing over ceremony.

Gandhi had been the party Vice President for over four years since 2013.

Among the proposers of 89 nominations — all in support of Gandhi — was former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who called Rahul Gandhi the “darling” of the party. Manmohan Singh accompanied Gandhi when he filed the nomination papers.

Originally 90 nomination forms were issued but one could not be filed as there were not enough number of proposers.

Hundreds of Congress workers and leaders from across the country thronged the party office and celebrated the announcement of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation by bursting crackers and dancing to the beat of drums and distributing sweets.

The post Rahul Gandhi elected Congress President, PM Modi congratulates him appeared first on News India Times.

Next week, five members of a regulatory committee will make a decision about one of the biggest threats to democratic discourse Americans have faced in our lifetimes — and it isn’t looking good. On Dec. 14, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a proposal to end net neutrality. This means that internet service providers would be able to block, slow down or charge customers extra to access certain websites. The three Republicans on the committee, who typically vote as a bloc, are widely expected to enact the plan. But it isn’t too late for corporations to protect us.

The possible implications of the end of net neutrality are harrowing. Imagine, for example, an internet service provider charging extra for access to mainstream news sites. That could leave Americans who can’t afford premium service to get their information from purveyors of fake news. Or, picture an internet service provider that supports a particular agenda — AT&T, Comcast and Verizon have aggressively lobbied the Trump administration to end net neutrality, for example — slowing down access to websites of political candidates who don’t support their positions.

The lack of competition among internet service providers means many Americans would have no choice but to use such services. According to an FCC report released in April, 87 percent of American census blocks have two or fewer service providers offering broadband services of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. In part, this is because it’s so costly and complicated to start an internet service provider; startups in particular face the threat of lawsuits from established companies. The challenge has even stymied Google’s parent company, Alphabet, which announced in October 2016 that it was scaling back plans to bring its Google Fiber service to more American cities.

Luckily for Americans, however, the plan to end net neutrality is also a major threat to companies that do business on the internet. This is because internet service providers could block or limit access to certain sites altogether. For example, they could cut off access to Netflix and instead sell entertainment streaming services of their own. (Sound crazy? In 2014, Netflix paid Comcast to stop a slowdown of its site.) That’s why members of the Internet Association — companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Uber, Netflix, Airbnb and eBay — support net neutrality.

It looks like it’s too late for politicians to protect net neutrality. The FCC is almost certainly going to repeal it, and the Republican-controlled Congress is unlikely to pass a bill mandating that all web traffic be treated equally. But corporations can still save Americans from this threat.

Members of the Internet Association could band together to fund an internet service provider that would guarantee neutrality and offer service to every American at affordable rates. Google Fiber could build out its existing services nationwide with funding from these other companies who have a huge interest in protecting open access to the net. Even if the effort is costly, it would be less expensive than the potential alternative of customers being unable to access their sites.

Jim Baller, president of the law firm Baller Stokes & Lide PC and an expert in telecommunications, likes the idea. He notes that members of the Association “have extensive experience with disrupting traditional industries,” along with “substantial resources, knowledge of the communications industry and buying power. That’s a potent and promising formula for them to find a feasible solution to the elimination of network neutrality.”

In the past, media scholars warned that big corporations were one of the biggest dangers to American democracy. University of Illinois professor Robert McChesney famously wrote that a “rich media” spelled “poor democracy.” Today, internet service providers lobbying against net neutrality are the epitome of this threat. But social media platforms and other companies may also be our last hope of protection.

– Alaimo is an assistant professor of public relations at Hofstra University and author of “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication.” She previously served in the Obama administration.

The post How Google and Facebook could save net neutrality appeared first on News India Times.