NEW YORK – Anita Nair, an Indo-Canadian who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2012, is seeking help from the public so she can return to Canada for better treatment.

When Nair was on a trip to India in 2014, she had to get a tracheostomy as her health worsened and since then has been on ventilator support.

However, her body was not been able to adapt to the tracheostomy well enough and she soon developed several infections along with gaining the inability to breathe comfortably, leading to many hospital visits.

Only over the last year has Nair’s health been stable but in this time she and her husband Sajeev, who takes care of her constantly, have had to use their savings to pay for treatments as they have no health insurance in India.

Now they can’t afford to keep paying the hefty fees anymore, so they want to go back to Canada. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi has estimated $51,000 for their flight back.

“To travel back I will need a medical escort. I will need to be on a stretcher for the duration of the flight because I am a quadriplegic now,” Nair says on her GoFundMe page, adding that “some commercial flights do allow stretchers.”

“Asking for help raising money is the hardest thing I have done so far, probably as hard as coming to terms with the fact that I had ALS,” Nair pleads.

Nair is trying to raise $75,000.

Help Nair at https://www.gofundme.com/sx8rj-medical-and-travel-expenses.

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Indian American Manju Sheth of Lynnfield, Massachusetts has been named to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s Patient Care Action Committee (PCAC).

Sheth is also a board-certified internist at Lahey Health who focuses primarily on women’s health and is committed to women empowerment.

She has been a part of many fund raisers for local Indian American charities including Saheli and Akshaya Patra and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

Sheth has also been the president of the Indian Medical Association of New England and currently co-chairs the Indian Women Physicians Forum.

She is a trustee of the Indian American Forum for Political Education as well and has co-founded the New England Health Expo, the largest South Asian Health Expo in North America.

Sheth has received numerous awards including the INE Woman of the Year in 2011, for which she is now the president of multimedia, and was featured as “150 Women of Influence” by the YWCA Boston.

“It is a privilege to be asked to serve on a special committee at Harvard Pilgrim” Sheth told Northshore Magazine, as she is “able to present the needs of a community,” something that is very close to her heart.

Sheth is married to Dipak Sheth, a physician, they have a 20-year-old daughter named Shaleen who is currently a sophomore at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts,

According to Northshore Magazine, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s Patient Care Action Committee consists of independent physicians from the community who advise Harvard Pilgrim patients on the quality of their healthcare issues.

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Land

Fort Young Hotel, on the Caribbean island of Dominica, is welcoming guests back after Hurricane Maria with 20 percent savings. The Voluntourism Package starts at $837 a night and includes five nights’ accommodations, round-trip airport transfers, full breakfast daily, island tour and three days of transportation to the Waitukubuli National Trail, where guests will hike and help clear debris. Add $181 taxes. Book and stay by May 31. The hotel expects to fully reopen in October. Info: 767-448-5000, fortyounghotel.com

Zemi Beach House, on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, recently reopened after the hurricanes and is celebrating with free nights and breakfast. With the Welcome Back Promotion, book three nights and receive a fourth night free, or book five nights and receive two extra nights gratis. Deal also includes daily buffet breakfast. Four nights starts at $2,640, including taxes, a savings of $876. Travel through Dec. 19. Info: 844-734-8768, zemibeach.com

Geckos Adventures, a tour operator for travelers 18 to 29, is offering 20 percent off international trips departing through April 30. For example, the Ultimate Cambodia costs $768 per person double for three departures in April, a savings of $192. The trip, which starts in Bangkok and ends in Ho Chi Minh City, includes 11 nights’ lodging, several tours, four meals, land transport and taxes. Book by Wednesday. Info: 855-832-4853, geckosadventures.com/en-us/sale

Sea

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is offering savings of $2,500 per person on select 2018 departures of its India’s Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges river cruise. The 13-day cruise from New Delhi to Kolkata starts at $5,499 per person double and includes hotel stays in New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur; onboard meals, beer and wine; daily excursions; and airport transfers. Add about $140 in taxes. Book the Inspirational India Sale by March 31. Info: 800-257-2407, uniworld.com/en

American Queen Steamboat Company has launched a 2018 summer sale with savings of $1,000 per person on nine sailings. For example, five Antebellum South itineraries between Memphis and New Orleans start at $1,999 per person double, plus $179 port charges. The eight-night trip, which departs in June and July, includes a seven-night cruise, one night’s hotel stay and shore excursions. Book by June 30 by calling 888-749-5280 and request promo code 2018 Summer Sale. Info: 888-749-5280, americanqueensteamboatcompany.com/promotions/2018-summer-sale

Air

Contour Airlines has fares from $138 round trip on flights between BWI Marshall and Macon, Ga. The airline, which started service between the two airports last summer, is the only airline serving Macon’s Middle Georgia Regional Airport. Fares to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the closest alternative airport, start at about $250. Fourteen-day advance purchase required. Book at contourairlines.com. The airline also posts last-minute fares from as low as $49 each way on its website each Wednesday.

Package

Great Value Vacations has deals on its City Break packages to Europe for travel through September. For example, a four-night trip to Rome departing in late August starts at $964 per person double. Price includes round-trip airfare from Washington Dulles, four nights at the Empire Palace Hotel, airport transfers and taxes. Priced separately, the trip costs about $1,300. Prices vary by departure date; 14-day advance purchase required. Info: 800-896-4600, greatvaluevacations.com/packages/city-breaks

THE WASHINGTON POST

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FairGaze.com, a Delhi-based venture, is a student-focused platform for connecting with mentors and programs aligned to the pursuit of career choices and talent grooming.

FairGaze (www.fairgaze.com), which is up and running for about two years now, brings school focused news, information and enables students to expand their horizon in an interactive mode. In addition, the students can easily engage with mentors to seek guidance and enroll in programs that are aimed at honing their talents and interests.

Though at present the venture physically interacts with schools and students in the National Capital Region (NCR), FairGaze engages with over 100,000 students from over 2,000 schools across India, according to founder and CEO, Sudheen M.

FairGaze works with students, who pay a small amount, to help manage their school’s newsletter, promote sports and cultural functions of select schools and recognizes the achievements of the students to the larger school student ecosystem of FairGaze.

With over 90 mentor-driven programs, FairGaze brings a wide choice of talent grooming and career guidance portfolio for students to explore and hone their skills. FairGaze also brings wisdom from experts, educationists and professionals from various fields that brings life and skill hacks to students, said Sudheen, in a phone interview to News India Times.

“The experience of engaging with students, schools, education professionals and authorities is a very fulfilling experience in addition to offering a strong business model”, said Sudheen, who also runs Crystal Hues Limited, an integrating marketing communication services and localization services company, started two decades ago.

FairGaze was established in early 2016 after two years of extensive research that involved child psychologists, counsellors, educationists, non-curricular experts and professionals, said Sudheen.

A recognized start-up by the Government of India, FairGaze has worked with Delhi Directorate of Education, Department of School Education, Haryana, and many leading schools in private and public domain.

“Students, especially in the K-12 (kindergarten to 12th class or the undergraduates) segment are now increasingly using technologies.  However, I believe that there is strong need to engage them in the real world without disrupting their inclination to adopting latest technologies.  In fact, engaging them in real world should complement engaging them with technologies that they are experimenting with. This is one of the best way to fight the isolation being experienced by the students today,” said Sudheen.  “I have been advised that the students should be deprived of technology to help them tide over such conditions. However, I feel that technology and its use is inevitable and there is no possible way of avoiding use of technologies even for the school students,” he added.

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A U.S. District Judge has sentenced an Indian-American who used to be a senior New York City employee, to almost 4 years in prison for soliciting and accepting bribes relating to the construction industry.

At the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Talib Lokhandwala, a former construction project administrator with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry on Feb. 23, to 46 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Lokhandvala pleaded guilty in October 2017 to having solicited and received bribes from two contractors working on two New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) projects. The Court also imposed a fine of $20,000.

According to court filings and facts presented at the sentencing, from March 2009 through May 2015, Lokhandwala, who was employed in various positions charged with overseeing MTA construction projects, solicited and received bribes totaling $152,420 from two contractors performing construction projects on NYCTA subway lines.  Lokhandwala concealed his receipt of the bribe payments by having the contractors issue checks to shell bank accounts he controlled, a press release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York says.  In exchange for the bribes, Lokhandwala promised to steer future work to the contractors and to expedite bureaucratic paperwork for their benefit.  Lokhandwala threatened to bar the contractors from future projects if they did not continue to pay him, the court filings say.

Lokhandwala, 64, is a resident of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, according to the press release.

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A year ago, I was contacted by one of my friend from college, Toshi Longchar, to say a few words on youth skills day for one of the seven sister state of NorthEast India, Nagaland. At that time, I had sent a short video to him, which was played during the event; and youth of Nagaland loved the video stream. That prompted me to think that, these might help others, elsewhere too. Hence, decided to write them down and share those with you today. I will write more about NorthEast India in the future articles.

Needless to say, how significantly our lives have changed over the past 5 years, especially, in this age of rapid technological advancements.

Influence of Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligent, machine learning, and big data is widespread. No matter the industry focus, every single corporation is focusing on this. Frequently, I have talked about how robots are going to take over our lives in a decade; and we soon will be dependent on them. Yes…it will happen. As a matter of fact, it is already happening. Take the examples of ‘Sophia’, the first robot citizen of our world who has created some buzz. Particularly, note the fact of declaring a ‘citizen’. Are you amused yet?

We need completely different kind of leaders for the world that is yet to be. Why I think indigo children and next generation of youth can change the world? Well, they uniquely arrived with pre-downloaded software in their system. Smarter and brighter with much higher conscious level, they have experienced a totally different world than us. They are the one who will lead the wave of massive change; and rebuild the world. Let’s look at the top three skill areas that will be crucial for our next generation youth development.

1. Leadership skills

“The best coaches know what the end result looks like. If you don’t know what the end result is suppose to look like, you can’t get there” ~VINCE LOMBARDI.

With many dimensions of leaderships, countless advice on this topic, shelf full of books and articles describing what leadership qualities are, it might be extremely confusing how to even decipher what traits of leadership are the most important ones. In our physical world, unfortunately in many cases, you may run into situations where you will experience, some ‘lucky’ people are in ‘leadership positions’, however, do not exhibit desired leadership qualities. At some point in your career, you may experience some are misusing you or some are taking credit for your work. Sadly, some people’s primary agenda is to further themselves, at the any cost. Well, my advice is to go beyond those vibrations of positional authority and rise higher.

A leader has many intricate qualities blended exceptionally well. There is no secret ready-made formula for leadership available in the market, which can be replicated. That is why there are so many theories about what makes a great leader. It is hard to pinpoint which exact traits might be the secret sauce for ones greatness. However, any great leader has three fundamental leadership qualities that separate them from the average. Top of the list is being a ‘visionary’, meaning having an uncanny ability to foresee. Absolute clarity is not a necessity by any means. However, having a broader idea with a thirty thousand foot view is critical. Knowing ‘what’ is much more important, rather than ‘how’. Secondly, great leaders spend time finding their ‘strengths’ and weakness. They know, it is extremely crucial to sharpen their strengths, instead of lavishly spending already limited time and resources on polishing ‘weaknesses’. They surround themselves with smarter people, who do much better job than them to fill the gap of their weaknesses. Finally, leadership is majorly about ‘character’, which harmonizes ethics, values, purpose, passion, integrity, courage, focus, persistence and commitment. An extraordinary leader is a catalyst for incredible change.

One such ‘great’ leader of our times is Steve Jobs, founder of Apple. His ability to envisioning a future (like no other), struggles, brutal setbacks, laser-like focus, and mastery of connecting the dots was undoubtedly genius. As you have felt the impact already, his inventions changed lives of entire seven billion people (and the next generations) forever. I call him, ‘the modern day tech-smith’.

“Leadership is not about having all the answers, but having faith, courage and strength to find those as you walk the path towards your destiny.” ~self

2. Entrepreneurial skills

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success”
~ROBERT KIYOSAKI

What are entrepreneurial skills anyway? I like meaningful saying by Zig Zigler. It explains, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude”. Nothing is more authentic than that.

After researching and going through first hand experience, I can tell you that, the top trait of an entrepreneur is, having an attitude of not being afraid of failing. When they fail, they mourn and cry; but they get up slowly and brush off the failure; and restart the engine again with stronger hope. Do you have an idea? Work on it. Talk about the issues enough so you can find the right solutions. Thinking outside the box will be ‘the norm’, because cookie cutter solution will not work any longer. Past patterns of repeatable solutions will stay in the past. We have to prepare our minds to welcome the future, because it will be nothing like what it is now. Don’t be afraid of traveling a path that is less traveled. If no path exists, create a raw path. It’s about strength of standing alone, believing in your intuitions, when no one does. It’s about having strength to walk alone, when no one walks with you; and holding on to those moments when you want to give up. It’s about having fearless attitude of ‘not just complain, but get your hands dirty to solving the problem’. Entrepreneurs successfully balance leadership skills with fearless executional skills, and push the boundaries.

Some of the top entrepreneurs of our times, who have taken biggest risks of their lives and never looked back, are Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Jack Ma. Entrepreneurs are the ‘doers’.

“Excuses are NOT the best traits of an entrepreneur. ‘No’ does not exist in an entrepreneur’s dictionary.” ~self

3. Pay back & give back ‘selflessly’

“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility, to give something back by becoming more” ~TONY ROBBINS.

We, the fortunate ones have broader responsibility on our shoulder to help building our society, ‘positively’. If you are a fortunate enough to make it up there, make it a point to ‘give back selflessly’ without thinking about return on investment (ROI), how it might benefit yourself, financially, personally or otherwise. In the states, especially, during the holidays “giving” to the causes for non- profit organizations heightens. Not only religious or faith-based or educational institutions receives donations, causes across all possible dimensions gets support. Well, there is a fundamental reason for it. Individuals and corporations also get lenient tax breaks for ‘donating’. Besides donations of ‘money’, volunteering time and pro-bono work effort are also seen highly. These days though, sadly, I have encountered scenarios, where corporations are constantly looking for ROI when they give back for a cause. Well, to me that’s more of a transactional mode, which defies the purpose of ‘giving back selflessly’, which is supposed to be due to social responsibility. What I am suggesting here is to ‘giving back selflessly’. It would not matter, how much or how little you give. Every little bit matters, because, if there is a need, there will definitely be an impact, no matter what/how you chose to give. It’s a total shift of mindset and game changer.

“Leave the earth a little better than when you entered, by giving, doing and inspiring.” ~self

I hope these inspire our next generation youth everywhere.

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Mumbai — Veteran actress Sridevi, 54, passed away in Dubai, plunging the entire country into a pall of gloom as her fans and admirers expressed shock and disbelief.

The actress breathed her last on Saturday night at around 11 p.m. She was rushed to the nearby Rashid Hospital but pronounced dead on admission.

Her body is expected to be flown to Mumbai via a special chartered flight on Sunday evening for the last rites but the timings were not confirmed yet, according to official sources.

Sridevi was in Dubai to attend the marriage function of actress Sonam Kapoor’s cousin Mohit Marwah, along with husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi.

She exuded elegance in her appearances — photos and videos that were now being shared on social media as her “last”.

Confirming the news of her death, Sridevi’s brother-in-law and actor Sanjay Kapoor, told IANS: “Yes, it is true.”

The Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Indian Consulate in Dubai were assisting the family to expedite the process to bringing her body to India as soon as possible.

The actress is remembered for her performance is some of the iconic Bollywood films like “Mr. India”, “Nagina”, “Sadma”, “ChalBaaz”, “Chandni”, “Khuda Gawah”, among many others in different Indian languages.

The Padma Shri recipient, who made a comeback to Bollywood in 2012 with “English Vinglish” after a long break of 15 years, was last seen in “Mom” in 2017.

Apparently having a premonition, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi’s co-star in half a dozen films, including “Khuda Gawah” had tweeted at 1.15 am on Sunday: “I don’t know, but I feel a strange sense of unease.”

The untimely death of the veteran actress has left the country shocked. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned her demise.

“Shocked to hear of passing of movie star Sridevi. She has left millions of fans heartbroken,” Kovind tweeted.

Modi also took to Twitter, saying: “Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Sridevi. She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances.”

Southern movie stars and politicians Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan also expressed disbelief.

“I’m shocked and very disturbed. I’ve lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I feel the pain with them. Sridevi, you will be missed,” tweeted Rajinikanth, who featured with her in the memorable “ChaalBaaz”.

Kamal Haasan, her co-star from “Sadma” — one of her most evocative performances — said: “Have witnessed Sridevi’s life from an adolescent teenager to the magnificent lady she became. Her stardom was well deserved. Many happy moments with her flash through my mind including the last time I met her. Sadma’s lullaby haunts me now. We’ll miss her.”

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has sung for Sridevi in 20 films including “Chaand Kaa Tukdaa”, “Khuda Gawah”, “Lamhe”, “Chandni”, “Nazrana” and “Himmatwala”, had no words to express her shock.

“Yakeen nahi ho raha ki itni choti umar mein Sridevi chali gayi. Kya kahun kuch samajh mein nahi aa raha hai. Boney Kapoor aur unki do betiyon ke dukh mein main shamil hun. (I can’t believe that Sridevi died so early, she was too young. I don’t know what to say. Condolences to Boney Kapoor and the daughters),” she tweeted.

Her “Mom” co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui wrote: “It’s a heartbreaking news, can’t even imagine in the worst of my dreams – World losses the best performer.”

Superstar Aamir Khan was “saddened by the untimely and tragic passing away of Srideviji”. He said he has “always been an admirer of the grace and dignity with which she conducted herself”.

While veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was “jolted” by the news of her sudden death, Sunny Deol, who has worked with her in films like “Sultanat”, “ChaalBaaz” and “Ram-Avtar”, said he is “going to miss her”.

Showbiz queen Ekta Kapoor tweeted: “The strongest women have the weakest hearts sometimes.”

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said “with Sridevi gone an era is over”.

“Like life turning a new chapter. A beautiful story just ended. An amazing spirit just vanished leaving us with amazing love, memories, and incredible grief,” he tweeted.

The post India stunned by superstar Sridevi’s death appeared first on News India Times.

“Arre, maine kuch achieve nahi kiya (I havent achieved anything)… Theres a long way to go. I feel my career has just started. Haan… let me tell you that,” said Sridevi, laughing.

Sridevi’s lilting laughter — much like her screen presence, beauty, grace and unmatchable talent — lingers on as I remember my last conversation, in November 2017, with the actress, who spent 50 of her 54 years of life living the cinematic dream.

“I feel like a newcomer. I feel that my career is going to start now. It’s not finished, It’s going to start now,” she asserted, dismissing any desire to treat her fans to an autobiography replete with stories from her glorious life — starting as a child actor at four to superstardom in India.

Born in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu on August 13, 1963, Sridevi began her career at the age of four in the devotional film “Thunaivan”. That marked the beginning of a journey in filmdom that saw her work across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi productions, leading her to become one of the most formidable actresses of the 1980s and 1990s in Bollywood — in fact, the only female “superstar” the industry has seen.

As filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma put it, “She was like a creation of God which he does whenever he is in a very special mood as a very, very special gift to mankind.”

Sridevi grew up to be known for not just her ability for slip into myriad roles — whether the double role in “ChaalBaaz”, as a woman with retrograde amnesia in “Sadma”, a shape-shifting woman in “Nagina”, a goofy crime journalist in “Mr. India”, the warm mother act in “English Vinglish” or the fierce and revengeful mom in “Mom” — but also for her expressive eyes, sheer comic timing and her fluid dancing skills, all of which made her a director’s delight.

“Hawaa hawai”, “Main teri dushman”, “Morni”, “Na jaane kahan se aayi ha””, “Mere haathon mein” are some of the iconic and classic dance numbers which gave cinema fans a chance to see the dancing talent of Sridevi.

As filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who directed her in “Karma”, said: “Introvert by nature, she was electricity with thunder in front of the camera. She would shock directors with each shot — be it dance, drama or romance. She was uncrowned queen of acting in all languages in her time.”

In 2013, the government feted her with the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award. Her work was widely lauded with a slew of other richly-deserved honours.

Sridevi, who over the years became quite a fashion icon — sometimes giving tough competition to her daughters — commanded popularity like few others.

“Her popularity and stardom had to be seen to be believed. We were shooting for the climax in Nandyal for ‘Kshana Kshanam’ and the whole of Nandyal came to a standstill when they came to know that Sridevi was in town.

“Banks, government offices, schools, colleges everything in town closed as everyone wanted to see Sridevi,” Ram Gopal Varma recounted in a tribute after the sudden demise of the actress in Dubai late Saturday of a cardiac arrest.

Sridevi could also be extraordinarily warm and compassionate.

Co-producer K. Ramji of Tina Films International, told IANS: “In 1986, while shooting for ‘Sindoor’, the heroine Neelam Kothari was staying in the same hotel as Sridevi. Neelam was a great fan and wanted to meet her, but was apprehensive about approaching an established star like Sridevi.

“Finally, when she took courage and entered her room, Sridevi got up to receive and welcome her, commented on Neelam’s lustrous hair and they became instant friends.”

In an industry where women beyond a certain age struggle to find roles, a 50-plus Sridevi proved she still had it in her when she carried two films — her “comeback” vehicle “English Vinglish” and last year’s “Mom” — on her shoulders.

The 2012 film “English Vinglish” marked her return to films 15 years after the 1997 movie “Judaai”. And what a comeback it was – playing the role of a traditional Indian housewife’s struggle with the English language in the US, she was simply outstanding.

In real life, she was indeed a “purely traditional housewife — a great mother and perfect host for guests at home”, says Ghai.

A mother of two daughters, Janhvi and Khushi, whom she had with husband Boney Kapoor, Sridevi was as doting as a mom could get. She was excited for Janhvi’s upcoming debut “Dhadak”, just months away from its release.

Confident of the upbringing she gave her daughters, Sridevi said: “Janhvi has chosen this path and profession, and I have been in this industry for long. So I am mentally more prepared than her. She has been watching me, and knows what she is getting into.

“Nothing is going to be a cakewalk in any profession. So you have to work hard, and there will be challenges. I’m sure she is ready for it.”

And to cite the unpredictability of life, who knew Sridevi wouldn’t be there to see her daughter take baby steps into a world where she was the uncrowned queen for so many years.

The post Sridevi: 50 years of living the cinematic dream appeared first on News India Times.

NEWARK, NJ – When Bollywood Boulevard premiered at the Lincoln Center in the summer of 2017, it was a huge hit. They again recreated the same effect playing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Newark, New Jersey, this past weekend.

Like any other Bollywood film filled with song and dance, Bollywood Boulevard fulfills the journey of the Hindi film Industry through those very same songs one sees and hears day after day.

The 90-minute, non-stop, musical extravaganza featured four singers and 13 dancers performing to some classic Bollywood songs, that has entertained people around the world.

Rushi Vakil, one of the creators of the show, told News India Times earlier in an interview: “We want the audience to feel like they are watching a live movie while experiencing the journey of Bollywood.”

The show did exactly that.

Presented in a film format, the show starts with a visual feature of the first film, Raja Harischandra, which was a silent film and then goes on to narrate how Alam-Ara became the first talkie.

From there, the artists take the audience down memory lane with some Black and White classics, including, ‘Ramayya Vastawaiyya,” “Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua” and “Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya,” representing the transformation of Black and White film into color.

After introducing color in film, the show went through the Golden Era which was ruled by singers Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar and accompanied by actors Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor.

The artists whizzed through the decade of the 70s which was dominated by the first superstar of Bollywood, Rajesh Khanna, followed by the living legend Amitabh Bachchan.

Then came the 90s, portrayed like a film within a film or more appropriately a short film of its own with the typical plot line of ‘boy meets girl, they fall in love but their parents don’t want them to get married’, amidst the backdrop of familiar songs.

Once that story was finished, the ‘film’ showed the Bollywood of today and how it still influences the lives of artists and movie lovers all over.

Bollywood Boulevard isn’t like any other Bollywood dance show though.

What makes Bollywood Boulevard unique are the visuals and multimedia along with the live band playing in the background.

There were also visuals that recreated scenes from a film, as well as fun multimedia, to fill the audience in with facts about the Hindi film industry.

Overall, Bollywood Boulevard is a spectacular display that showcases the journey and highlights the epic moments of the Hindi film industry.

This dedication to Bollywood is a must watch for all true fans out there and for those who also appreciate the industry for what it was, what it is and what it will be tomorrow.

The post Bollywood Boulevard in New Jersey: a ‘paisa vasool’ performance appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – The Council Rock School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania had declared a holiday on November 7 this year, in recognition of the Hindu festival of Diwali, thanks to the effort of Vir Sahu, a student at the school.

Sahu, a junior at Council Rock High, presented an online petition with over 450 signatures urging the district to recognize Diwali as an official holiday, Philly Voice had reported.

“I always took Diwali off as a kid but when I grew older it became harder to take the day off because the work would just pile up,” Sahu told News India Times in a phone interview, explaining the reasoning for the petition.

According to Philly Voice, Sahu had to make two formal presentations before the school board and another in front of the district’s academic standards committee to argue that the school system recognizes students of some faiths, but not others.

Sahu pointed out how public schools in the U.S. are officially closed for holidays such as Christmas, and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, for areas with a large Jewish population and how his district needed to provide Hindu students with the ability to celebrate Diwali without missing school, just like the Christians and the Jewish.

“I believe the board itself should be recognized for being receptive to having this discussion and ultimately agreeing that having Diwali as a holiday is appropriate,” Sahu wrote on an update to his Change.org petition.

“I’m thrilled with that. Spreading diversity in this area is very important and this shows they are willing to accept more cultures in the area. I felt very strongly about this. I think it increases tolerance,” Sahu told the Bucks County Courier Times.

Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, agreed in a statement, asking “If schools had declared other religious holidays, why not Diwali?”

“Holidays of all major religions should be honored and no one should be penalized for practicing their religion,” he added, lauding the Council Rock board for its 7-0 unanimous vote for declaring Diwali as an official holiday.

“I want Hindus to keep their identity and still be able to celebrate their holiday,” Sahu told News India Times, adding that he would like to “thank the diversity advisory board of my district and condemn the school board for accepting Diwali as an official holiday.”

Though, Jerold Grupp, the school board President told the Bucks County Courier Times that the approval of the holiday will be considered on a yearly basis as Diwali falls on a weekend the next two years, after next year.

According to the Bucks County Courier Times, Zed has urged all public school districts and charter schools in Pennsylvania to grant a day off for Diwali and that awareness about other religions created by granting days off school for holidays like Diwali would make Pennsylvania students “well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow,” adding that there are three million Hindus living in the U.S.

When Sahu did the research for his presentation, he found that only one other school district in Pennsylvania had Diwali as an official holiday while in New Jersey, where there is a larger population of Indian Americans, had four.

Sahu also encourages school districts around the country to consider Diwali as an official holiday.

“I think the students should take initiative rather than the adults because it will create a greater impact,” Sahu said.

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NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.

For the past year, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System has been a leader in patient experience in New Jersey by providing innovative patient engagement technology proven to empower patients, reduce anxiety, and increase patient satisfaction. Due to outstanding results last year, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is now scaling SeamlessMD’s patient engagement and quality improvement platform across the enterprise as standard of care for patients undergoing caesarean sections and total joint replacement.

Saint Peter’s first implemented SeamlessMD for its caesarean section patients in November 2016. Patients using SeamlessMD are engaged before and after surgery via smartphone, tablet and computer. The program includes reminders, tasks, tailored education and daily milestone tracking to help patients follow Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), a proven model for accelerating recovery. Based on what patients record throughout their journey, they receive automated feedback on how to self-manage common concerns. Providers are also able to monitor patients remotely using a real-time dashboard, allowing patients to stay connected with the care team, particularly at home after leaving the hospital.

“I was very happy I had SeamlessMD,” says a Saint Peter’s patient who used the technology. “The experience was much better than my first C-section! It was like a friend checking up on you. I loved how the nurses would check in. This made my second recovery so much better!”

By early in 2017, the program had produced outstanding results of reductions in hospital length of stay, which were presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Practice Management Conference in January 2017. Over the past year, Saint Peter’s has used SeamlessMD to reduce hospital length of stay by 1.5 days, allowing patients go home sooner and producing significant cost savings for the health system.

Attila Kett, MD, chair of Anesthesia at Saint Peter’s and champion for the initiative, says: “The biggest challenge that SeamlessMD helped us solve is how to educate our patients. It is clearly extremely important that patients know the benefits of this program and become empowered so they can make their own decisions. With SeamlessMD, our length of stay is dropping – even exceeding our optimistic predictions because our patients now feel safe despite going home earlier, as they have the knowledge that we’re able to monitor their recovery remotely and intervene should there be a problem.”

Due to this success in obstetrics and the advent of the Total Joint bundled payments, the health system saw this as a way to succeed in bundles while improving the patient experience, Patricia Richards, director of CMS Innovations & Value-Based Programs at Saint Peter’s, explains, “We are navigating changes with value-based care, and having SeamlessMD provides patients confidence to recover at home knowing they will still be connected to their care team through SeamlessMD. We receive automatic, real-time updates on the patients’ status, whether they are at home or a facility.”

Alfred Tria, MD, chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Saint Peter’s, is excited about the technology for the orthopaedics program, saying “having an older patient population, it is important to find new ways to keep our patients engaged with our care pathway. Since launching SeamlessMD in our Total Joint Replacement program this past summer, we have already seen significant benefit with using the platform to ‘prehabilitate’ patients prior to surgery, achieve higher patient compliance with protocols and helping patients feel more supported while recovering at home.”

With a continued commitment to a high quality care and the patient experience, Saint Peter’s plans to expand the program to additional clinical areas in 2018.

“We’re thrilled to scale the technology across the enterprise as it allows us to reach more patients, and helps drive change for the industry. Saint Peter’s Healthcare System’s values mirrors our own ambition to influence positive change for the patient experience and for healthcare,” adds Joshua Liu, MD, CEO of SeamlessMD.

About Saint Peter’s Healthcare System

Saint Peter’s Healthcare System Inc., parent company of the Saint Peter’s healthcare delivery system, is comprised of Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital and state-designated children’s hospital and regional perinatal center; Saint Peter’s Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital; Saint Peter’s Health and Management Services Corp., which oversees outpatient facilities, including the CARES Surgicenter and New Brunswick Cardiac Cath Lab; and Saint Peter’s Physician Associates, a network of primary and specialty care physician practices. Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen and is a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers Biomedical Health and Sciences. For more information about Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, please visit www.saintpetershcs.com or call 732-745-8600.

About SeamlessMD

SeamlessMD provides the leading Patient Engagement and Quality Improvement platform for health systems to deliver value-based models of care, including Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH), prehabilitation, readmissions prevention, bundled payments and Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) data collection. Research completed by academic medical centers has shown SeamlessMD to reduce hospital length of stay, readmissions, ER visits and costs. Accessible via smartphone, tablet or computer, the SeamlessMD platform keeps patients on track from preparation through recovery with reminders, video-based education, progress tracking and PRO data collection. Providers can access real-time dashboards to measure compliance and outcomes, intervene sooner for patients at-risk and drive quality improvement across the organization. For more information about SeamlessMD, please visit: www.seamless.md

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NEW YORK – Indian Americans often struggle to teach their children the basics of Indian culture. Now, two high school students from New Jersey have made that task a bit easier.

Nikhita (Nikki) Mahendru, a senior, and her brother Vikram Mahendru, a sophomore, at Millburn High School, in Millburn, have created an online platform known as Storychatter (www.storychatter.com), where they have posted several videos that teach children the basics of Indian mythology through storytelling.

“It’s a website that hosts several vibrant videos on Indian culture and mythology,” Nikki told News India Times, in a phone interview.

Nikki explained how Storychatter is an entertaining medium that runs on a subscription base for $2.99 a month or $0.99 a video, and 50 percent of the proceeds go to a charity in India while the other 50 percent go towards making new videos.

However, it took the siblings three years to put the concept together with one year going into research and the other two to actually make the videos.

“We contacted a video artist from India to draw out the animation, recorded our voice overs and wrote an original script in a storytelling format where Vikram and I take the children through the stories,” Nikki said, adding that they wanted to make sure that the animation looked realistic, and thus, decided to work with someone from India “who really knew the culture.”

After starting the project in 2013, Nikki and Vikram finally launched it in 2016 with the intention of re-telling the stories their grandparents had once told them.

“When our grandparents would visit from India, everyday after school they would always tell us the epic stories of Ram, Hanuman and many more, and I remember I would always ask them to tell me more even though story time was over for the day,” Nikki said.

“But when our grandparents went back to India, we were lost in terms of our identities,” she added, saying that they wanted to make sure that when they re-created these stories, they connected to the children of today. “I love books but they didn’t feed our imagination so we decided to launch an online platform. Vikram even developed an app so they (children) can have what they want, when they want,” she added.

Nikki said that she wants to expand Storychatter in the future, tell stories that are not just for Indian Americans but for everyone.

“I want it to encompass all cultures and religions,” she said, mentioning that she would like to focus on Greek and Roman mythology next.

Nikki will be going to Duke University next year to pursue her studies in economics.

The siblings are also actively involved in many after school activities including running cross country track, Model UN, robotics and debate club.

Nikki hopes that many children will learn about the Indian American culture through Storychatter as “it is a website developed by kids, for kids.”

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Even in a world like Bollywood where stars are born every so often, Sridevi was a phenomenon – described as the first female “superstar” — she is being remembered not just by fans in India, but around the world. Details are still emerging about her untimely death Feb. 24, but it has saddened Indians in North America whose television screens are playing songs and movies of the woman who started as a child actor and rose to become a Bollywood sweetheart, left the scene for 15 years only to stage a resounding comeback at the age of 50, unusual in any film industry. News channels from BBC to CNN featured the star, and Twitter lit up with tributes and tears on her untimely death in Dubai at the age of 54.

“It is a great shock to our community. We grew up with her and she was a heartthrob for many of us,” said Ranganathan “Ranga” Purushottaman, president of the New York Tamil Sangam, adding, “We loved her from the beginning.”

Familiarity with Sridevi spreads across generations, according to Purushottaman. ” Even our children know her, with her latest movie “English-Vinglish” which had a great effect on us NRIs,” he said, referring to non-resident Indians.

Sridevi’s remarkable comeback in “English Vinglish” at the age of 50, “was very significant for the Indian diaspora,” says Rochona Majumdar, associate professor in the Departments of Cinema and Media Studies, South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. “It spoke to a generation of middle and upper middle-class women who had an English handicap,” said Majumdar, who is a “huge” fan of Sridevi and feels a sense of personal loss. Majumdar also pointed to “English Vinglish” portraying the Indian-American community in the U.S. “The Indian diaspora got to see how they are absorbing and melting into the American environment. And it was a very cosmopolitan environment that director Gauri Shinde showed, in which she (Sridevi) was very good,” Majumdar added.

On her own Twitter handle @SrideviBKapoor, the actor describes her life journey in five words – “Actor-MOM-Housewife-Actor Again!” joyful with her return to conquer the screen in 2012, after a 15-year hiatus.

Seeing the Bollywood  actress on screen, one would be hard put to believe her off-screen persona was different, says Dr. Sudhir Parikh, who recalls her as the Grand Marshal of the Federation of Indian Association’s India Day Parade of 1996, in New York City, of which he was a Grand Sponsor. Dr. Parikh is the publisher of Desi Talk and recipient of India’s Padma Shri award.

“If you look at movies, you would think she was very bubbly. But in reality she was very shy,” Dr. Parikh said. He recalls how when she was asked to address the audience as the Grand Marshal, the woman who stole millions of hearts with her screen appearances, gave a brief two-minute speech.

“On behalf of the Chairman, Board Of Trustees & the Executive Committee, our condolences to the Kapoor family. This is a dark day for the Indian film industry. We will pray to almighty god to give her departed soul peace and all strength to her family to go through this tough times,” the FIA said in a statement on Sridevi’s demise.

One fan said it best on Twitter responding to a recent article on Sridevi’s life –  “Bheed me rehkar Bheed se alag dikhna is something she has been doing time and again…” (Being in a crowd yet being distinct is what she has been doing time and again).

Sridevi had already been a phenomenon in Tamil and Telugu films before she came to Bollywood, says Professor Gyan Prakash, who teaches history at Princeton and has included Bollywood in some of his courses. “In Bollywood, she could navigate both comedy and intensely emotional roles with ease – intensity in “Chandni” and comedy in “Mr. India.” There are not many in Bollywood who could cover this kind of range,” said Prakash, whose book on Mumbai was made into the film “Bombay Velvet.”

People hailing from South India and living in the United States, have been listening to the continuous replay of the memorable song, Kanne Kalaimane” from her 1980s film with screen idol Kamal Haasan – “Moondram Tirai” (loosely translated to mean 3rd day of the new moon). “She was so innocent in that movie, nobody can forget that,” Purushottaman recalls, reminiscing  further about the song that was composed by poet Kannadasan, who gave then child-actor Sridevi her first role as God Muruga in “Thunalvan.”

“The Telugu community in New York knows Sridevi well as she came here for a meet-and-greet with our organization in 2010, and also because her mother was treated by Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu in the 1990s,” said Dr. Jyothi Jasti, joint secretary of the Telugu Literary and Cultural Association. Remembering growing up watching Sridevi, Dr. Jasti told Desi Talk it was a big loss for the community. “And as a woman – she did women proud, carrying herself with grace and dignity, being extremely talented,”

After her sudden death, “All of us have connected and talked about her as one of us. She was not just a celluloid figure,” Dr. Jasti added. “She held a special place in all women’s hearts.” Dharmarao Thapi, president of the TLCA, said Sridevi’s death was a loss to the community and the Telugu film industry. His memories go far back to when his father, Thapi Chanakya, directed a movie with Sridevi, “Vidhi Vilasam” around 1971, he told Desi Talk. “We all know of how quickly she reached the top, and in multiple languages,” Thapi said.

“What’s particular about Sridevi is she worked in five different languages, Malayalee, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and now English – which was remarkable,” Majumdar said. Her first “encounter” with Sridevi, was in the film “Himmatwale” with actor Jitendra, she says. “That kind of dancing was not seen until then,” she adds, using the words, “vigorous”, “mind boggling” and “kinesthetic. The same in “Mr. India.”

Indo-British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, who met Sridevi very recently at a get-together hosted by fashion designer Manish Malhotra, told BBC the Sridevi was, “completely and utterly, a force of nature on her own.” adding, “She is, and I don’t use the world lightly, an Icon.”

On Feb. 21, just 3 days before her death, Sridevi retweeted Malhotra’s message that included her picture in one of his creations. “Timeless and elegant, @SrideviBKapoor looks regal in a classic #ManishMalhotraLabel Cotton Couture 2018 creation,” Malhotra says. Earlier in February, she tweeted out Mahashivratri and Valentine’s Day greetings.

Almost verging on a premonition, on Feb. 12, she also retweeted an in-depth article on her life carried in TheNewsMinute, entitled, “From child artist to formidable veteran, how Sridevi has ruled hearts for five decades,” tracing her career since she was four years old.

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NEW YORK – More than 250 guests gathered at the Rubin Museum of Art for ‘The Future Is Fluid Fete’, a cocktail benefit to celebrate the opening of the Rubin’s yearlong exploration of the future, on February 22, in New York City.

Guests not only got a preview of the exhibitions on display, but also were able to get a glimpse into their personal future with interactive sessions with future-forecasters, throughout the galleries.

Guests received readings from Vedic astrologer Pallavi Shastri, learned their most auspicious days according to Tibetan astrology with Dr. Tenzin Dakpa and Dr. Dawa Ridak, consulted the stars with Alex Dimitrov of the Astro Poets, received intuitive oracle readings with Ashley Bruni and The Moon Deck, and discovered the mysteries of I-Ching coin divination with Lingxi Kong.

Guests were asked to bring details of their exact date, time and location of birth, for ‘accurate’ predictions. Expectedly, there were long lines; plenty of mirth and banter as guests awaited their turn. Many, however, had to turn away disappointed as they failed to get in through the limited time slots available with each forecaster.

The evening celebrated the opening of the exhibitions ‘The Second Buddha: Master of Time’, ‘A Lost Future’ by Shezad Dawood; two exhibitions by the artist Chitra Ganesh – ‘The Scorpion Gesture’ and ‘Face of the Future’.

In ‘The Scorpion Gesture’, large-scale animations by Ganesh appear as if by magic as one walks by select artworks. Ganesh has created five animated artistic “interventions” inspired by pieces in Gateway to Himalayan Art and Masterworks, using the figures of Padmasambhava, known as the Second Buddha, and Maitreya, the Future Buddha, as points of departure.

In ‘Face of the Future,’ Ganesh reimagines how visual languages of science fiction and fantasy take shape and proliferate around the world in print culture, literature, and cinema. In addition to showcasing her own new works on paper and collage-based pieces, Ganesh has invited seven emerging artists—Maia Cruz Palileo, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Tammy Nguyen, Jagdeep Raina, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Anuj Shrestha, and Tuesday Smillie—to expand and redefine the aesthetics of science fiction by creating posters that refer to a group of important, influential films largely outside the Western canon.

The three-part exhibition ‘A Lost Future’ challenges existing histories and speculative futures across cultures and in Bengal. Apart from Dawood, the exhibition features also the Otolith Group and Matti Braun.

Dawood’s works features an interactive virtual reality experience of the Indian hill station Kalimpong, linking a haunting nostalgic portal to a future alternative reality. Expanding on some of the sites and stories in Dawood’s paintings and sculptures on view, the virtual reality work allows visitors to travel from the mythic Himalayan Hotel into the mountains, an adjacent monastery, and beyond.

Guests also took in the exhibitions ‘A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful’, as well as ‘Brainwave’, the Rubin’s signature talk series that brings together luminaries in the sciences with experts from unexpected walks of life. Some of the artists and speakers were in attendance, including Ganesh and Dawood.

There were quite a few Indian American sponsors present at the fete, including prominent art collector, Democratic Party fundraiser, and Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners, Deven Parikh, and his wife, Monika Parekh; Girish Reddy, the CEO of Prisma Capital Partners and Co-CEO of Paamco Prisma Holdings, and his wife, Rasika Reddy; ‎and Manoj Singh, Global Managing Partner, Operations, ‎at Deloitte, and his wife Rita Singh.

Also present were the founders of the museum, Shelley and Donald Rubin, Basha Frost Rubin and Scott Grinsell, Noah P. Dorsky, and William Mayer.

Guests in attendance included Deepanjana Danda Klein, the International Head of Department for Contemporary Indian and Southeast Asian Art, at Christie’s, who came along with some of her team members; Anu Duggal, Founder, Female Founders Fund, and a Board member of the Rubin Museum; Svati Shah, associate professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Karenna Gore, Candy Chang and James A. Reeves.

Guests lapped all of the exhibitions on display as they sipped on thematic cocktails “Gimlet Rising,” “Future-Fashioned,” and “Ace of Cups,” featuring spirits by Widow Jane and New York Distilling Company. There was also beer by Brooklyn Brewery; hors d’oeuvres by Starr Events and cupcakes from Baked by Melissa.

A feature of the exhibition was also a wall exhibiting pinned notes from guests and visitors on two parallel themes: ‘I’m anxious because’ and ‘I’m hopeful because’. Those who veered on the side of anxiety were also, in all likelihood, found in line for a consultation with forecasters.

(Sujeet Rajan is Executive Editor, Parikh Worldwide Media. Email him: sujeet@newsindiatimes.com Follow him on Twitter @SujeetRajan1)

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Dr. Sapan Shah, a physician and entrepreneur from Libertyville, Illinois is in the final weeks of the March 20, Republican primary campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 10th District.

Shah faces off against two other Republicans in the primary.  If he wins on March 20, he will be pitted against a Democrat on Nov. 6, in a district that is rated as “Solid D” or Democrat by the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections, according to Ballotpedia.org.

Back in December, Crain’s Chicago Business described Dr. Shah as the “Number 1” candidate of the three Republicans vying for party support, and noted that while Shah’s chances of winning in November against Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider, were a “long shot” there was no predicting the winds of change this election season, particularly in light of the frequent change of guard over the last several years. In 2016, Schneider defeated Republican incumbent Robert Dold. However, back in 2014, Dold defeated Schneider for the same seat.

In a press release, Shah urged supporters to turn out to vote in the primary, promising he “will bring real world experience and common sense to Washington, D.C.”

Shah graduated in medicine magna cum laude from  Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and earned a law degree, which explains the primary place he gives to “solving the healthcare crisis” in his platform. He also wants to reduce government spending, cut  taxes, and champion the role of citizen legislators, he says in the press release.

Shah says he has seen firsthand the problems with the current healthcare system where premiums have skyrocketed despite higher deductibles and less coverage, and individuals have limited insurance options. He  wants to “work to reduce medical costs and heal our broken health care system.” He will do so, he says, through competition and transparency, “empowering individuals by putting them in charge of their own healthcare.”

On the economy, “We can improve our economy by cutting spending, reducing taxes, and supporting our job creators,” like small business which is the “lifeblood” of the economy. He said he will also demand balanced budgets, spending caps, and a plan to finally begin reducing the  national debt

On citizen legislators and term limits, “You tend to get common sense solutions when you put the American people back in charge of their government,” Shah says. “Government should be run by citizen legislators, not professional, career politicians,” those  “with real world experience, who see firsthand the needs of their community, have taken risks, and have lived the day-to-day struggle of everyday Americans.” He has declared he will serve for a maximum of 6 years and champion term limits.

In an email to Desi Talk, Shah described his family roots. His father, Suresh Shah, came to Waukegan, Illinois, from Halol, Gujarat, after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. He met and married his wife, Rohini Shah in the U.S. She had a masters degree in Mathematics and later became a CPA and opened her own accounting practice. His sister, Dr. Sima Parmar, is an OB/GYN with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialization and Shah’s wife, Dr. Rachna Shah, is an Allergy/Immunology specialist in private practice in Oak Park and Melrose Park.

“I have also been active in the Indian community in multiple ways.  I served as a volunteer attorney for the Hanuman Temple of Glenview when it was being formed.  In addition, I have been active with Swaminarayan Satsang my entire life.  Through these activities I have endeavored to serve others wherever possible,” Shah said in the email to Desi Talk.

Shah was born in Waukegan in 1980, the 37 year old founded a company when he was still in his late 20s – Flagship Healthcare —  “to assist with the business aspects of healthcare so medical professionals could spend their time practicing medicine,” he says, and today, his business supports more than 800 physicians and several hospitals throughout the country, the press release says.

A Dec. 23 piece carried in News India Times (newsindiatimes.com), detailed Shah’s race against Highland Park activist and lawyer Jeremy Wynes who has also worked for the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, and is responsible for launching the Chicago office of the Republican Jewish Coalition; and Doug Bennett, a computer consultant and vice chair of West Deerfield Township Republicans.

The 10th Congressional District is in the northeast corner of the state and is made up mostly of the northern suburbs of Chicago, according to Ballotpedia.

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NEW YORK – Two Indian Americans, Alka Jarvis and Abhijit Sengupta, have been named Fellows of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), according to a press release.

Jarvis works at Cisco Systems in San Jose, California and has had an exceptional leadership in the development of ISO standards activities in U.S. TAG to ISO/TC176.

She also developed, promoted and started the Best Practice Center of Excellence at Cisco and implemented quality management principles at Apple.

Jarvis is known to be a practitioner, consultant, university educator, author, auditor and presenter.

Sengupta of Washington, D.C. has sustained contributions in the theory and application of reliability as well as quality control in the nuclear power industry.

He has been servicing ASQ certification process for a long time now and has written extensive publications in support of reliability-based thinking.

Sengupta is known for his continuous dedication to ASQ at both the local and divisional levels.

Jarvis and Sengupta will be honored at a ceremony prior to ASQ’s World Conference on Quality and Improvement which will be held from April 30 to May 2 in Seattle, Washington.

The Fellowship is awarded to individuals who are members of ASQ and must meet the following criteria:

• Have at least 15 years of quality-related experience.
• Achieve requirements across six professional categories.
• Are sponsored by peers and endorsed by their ASQ section or division.
• Have been an ASQ Senior member for five years or longer.=

“ASQ Fellows are leaders in their industries and in the quality community as a whole. These individuals are champions of quality, working to make the products and services we rely on better,” ASQ Chair Elmer Corbin said in a press release.

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NEW YORK – Six Indian Americans are among 35 students selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship, according to a PTI report.

Neil Davey, Ayan Mandal, Pranay Nadella, Vaithish Velazhahan, Kaamya Varagur and Monica Kullar will each receive a scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was set up with $210 million, and will be able to study at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

On the Gates Cambridge website, here is what the six Indian Americans had to say about receiving the scholarship:

Neil Davey, who is studying Applied Mathematics/Economics and Global Health & Health Policy at Harvard University, said “while at Cambridge, I am particularly excited to interact with faculty who research access to care, as well as be in a community of scholars who will challenge my beliefs and allow me to rethink my perspectives on healthcare. I am so grateful to be joining the Gates Cambridge community, and very eager to be surrounded by a group of intellectuals who are committed to improving the lives of others through scholarship and community engagement.”

Ayan Mandal, who is studying Neurobiology and Physics at Georgetown University, said “at Cambridge, I will be applying my growing expertise in network neuroscience analysis to uncover brain networks corresponding to states of cognition in patients with brain tumors. We hypothesize that when important pieces of cognitive networks are resected to remove the tumor, predictable surgically induced cognitive deficits will result. This work could inform neurosurgical planning before tumor resection in the future.”

Pranay Nadella, who is studying Biology and Statistics at Harvard University, said “at Cambridge, I will study the MPhil in Public Health and continue to focus on improving public health programs for vulnerable mothers and children. I’m excited to join the diverse, inspiring and passionate Gates Cambridge community.”

Vaithish Velazhahan, who is studying Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology at Kansas State University, said “I am very excited to contribute to advances in electron cryo-microscopy, and I am grateful for this opportunity to work alongside and learn from world-class scientists in the LMB.”

Kaamya Varagur, who studied Neuroscience and Vocal Performance at Princeton University, said “at Cambridge my research will specifically examine the reciprocal effects of infant-directed singing on mother and child, looking at how such music modulates physiological arousal/stress. I plan on pursuing a medical career and hope to engage with community music programs that operate out of healthcare settings throughout my life. In my time at Cambridge I also look forward to participating in its vibrant choral tradition.”

Monica Kullar, who has a B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of California in San Diego and is currently a research assistant in the Psychology and Psychiatry as well as the Behavioral Sciences departments at Stanford University, said “at the University of Cambridge, I aim to conduct research on the effectiveness of down-regulating negative emotions in stressful real-world contexts, and elucidate further on neurobiological models of emotion regulation across both healthy and vulnerable populations. My goal is to advance our understanding on the complexities of managing our emotions and address ways to improve emotional and mental health.”

According to the website, scholarships are awarded to applicants from countries other than the UK, who are willing to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.

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NEW YORK – Mala Murthy, an Indian American associate professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, and her team of researchers have received a $2.2 million grant from the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, to investigate the brain’s mechanisms at work in social interactions between two animals, from processing each other’s cues to generating complex behaviors in response, according to a press release.

“The BRAIN Initiative is absolutely critical for supporting pioneering projects like ours that aim to uncover fundamental principles of brain function,” Murthy said, adding that impairments in processing social information and generating appropriate responses underlie several human disorders.

The Princeton Neuroscience Institute and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute faculty scholar is the leader of the team who is investigating how the brain processes social cues by looking at the courtship interactions of the vinegar fly.

“During courtship, flies both process myriad sensory cues from their partner and generate a number of dynamic behaviors, including the production of courtship songs,” Murthy said.

The team will then use this model system to uncover general principles of neural circuit function that will inform studies of sensorimotor integration in more complex systems.

The BRAIN Initiative is a large-scale effort to push the boundaries of neuroscience research and equip scientists to understand and treat a wide variety of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, autism and traumatic brain injury.

The highly interdisciplinary project involves state-of-the-art methods in neural circuit analysis, behavioral analysis and theoretical modeling.

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BROOKLYN, NY – Veteran spin bowler Harbhajan Singh, 30, who voiced his aspirations for a captain or a vice-captain role in the Indian team, speaking to a news channel in India last week, seemed to have quickly come to terms with the daunting odds associated with such a responsibility falling on him.

Speaking to News India Times on the sidelines of a meet hosted by Hotstar, in Brooklyn, NY, Singh refuted that he made such comments, admitted that the scenario was unlikely, though he was still hopeful and confident of making a comeback to the Indian team for the 2019 World Cup, to be held in England and Wales.

Asked if taking on the role of captain or vice-caption of the Indian cricket team would be an uphill task given the fact that wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have had a sensational series in South Africa, Singh queried: “When did I say I want to be captain of the Indian team?”

ESPN ran a story on Singh last week, broaching on what he told the news channel Headlines Today, where he reportedly said: “When my time comes, I will get captaincy or vice-captaincy. I have said many times that I am available and obviously if something like this comes then I would definitely be really honored to receive such kind of responsibility.”

Singh added, in that interview: “…I have not got my dues, so probably I will when that time comes. I have seen Anil Kumble retiring. He was the captain of India for two years. For me it will be the same thing. Let’s see, who knows.”

When told of his comments to Headlines Today, Singh said, to News India Times: “No, No, I don’t think I will be able to lead the Indian team. (Virat) Kohli is doing a great job. I’m not even part of the squad; how can I talk about leading the Indian team?”

On his chances of a slot in the World Cup squad, if he were to have a good IPL season, Singh said: “There is opportunity in every game you play. And also, the kind of experience I have, the kind of exposure I have, nobody else has. I have this advantage, and yes, if I have a great IPL season, one never knows.”

Singh added: “This talk of finger spinners or wrist spinners is not happening for the first time.  At the end (of the day) you want to win games. I’m a finger spinner, but when I played, I made the ball talk, and that’s what matters.”

Asked if the Indian team could have swept the test series in South Africa if Kuldeep Yadav had been played instead of R. Ashwin – given the difficulty the Proteas had in reading the variations of the former – Singh replied, with a smile: “No comments…that I don’t know, not my cup of tea. You need to ask the other people, who selected the team.”

The post I won’t be able to lead Indian cricket team, Kohli doing great job: Harbhajan Singh appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – Indian American high school sophomores Samir Shah and Saar Shah of Maryland will be holding a Kite Festival in Leonardtown at the Fairgrounds in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Saturday, March 17, from noon to 6 p.m. to raise money for their campaign Fly4aCure under the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

The Shahs have taken part in LLS’s Students of the Year competition, a seven-week fundraising competition for high school students and currently have over 20 team members from local schools in Maryland.

Their goal is to raise $200,000 with $100,000 from personal donations and $100,000 in corporate sponsorship.

“We began working with the LLS in 2010 when our cousin Ami was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, my father, Amish, was diagnosed with B Cell Lymphoma. At that time, I was only 12 and my sister Neelam, 10,” Samir said.

“We didn’t understand the significance then but now we have a better understanding of what the LLS has done to provide greater research for new innovative treatments. It has helped our family during our struggle,” he added.

The Shahs live in St. Mary’s County, which has population of 111,000 residents. An estimated 500 people are battling a type of blood cancer, the most common types being leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and Hodgkin’s disease, according to thebaynet.com.

According to LLS, blood cancers, on average, account for more than 10 percent of all new cancer cases diagnosed each year—and they’re the third leading cancer killer in the country, says thebaynet.com.

LLS is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer research.

While there is no way to prevent blood cancers, LLS is dedicated to finding a cure by relying on donations to fund research projects.

Each year, LLS hosts a Student of the Year fundraising competition, designed for high school students to compete in raising the most money for LLS.

“I would say it’s as important to us as it is to the community by us winning. It would show how close knit we are, and how much we care about this cause. It’s not us raising the money. It’s the community raising the money,” Samir told somdnews.com.

The Shahs hope the kite festival draws a large crowd of about 2,000 visitors so they can make it an annual event.

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