Dr. Jack (Jagjit) Brar, a veterinarian of 50-years standing, at Palos Pet Clinic, one of two he runs in the Chicago area, taking care of a patient. (Facebook profile photo)
Dr. Jack (Jagjit) Brar, a practicing veterinarian of 50-years standing, has been elected president of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation of Veterinary Board. Dr. Brar also served this board in same position in 2014, and is the most senior member of the 7-member board serving for the last 7 years, a press release from Dr. Brar said.
Dr. Brar, who was elected president on Jan. 31, has been working in the Chicago area for 36 years. He owns Dorchester Animal Hospital and Palos Pet Clinic.
The board he is heading handles consumer complaints relating to animal health workers and veterinarians as well as passing new rules and regulations regarding the welfare of animals. There are more than four thousand veterinarians in the state of Illinois.
Dr. Brar received a MS in veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1979. While at the university of Minnesota he was also inducted into the Phi Zeta Gamma honor society. In the last 20 years he has been active in various regional and state veterinary organizations. He was president, vice president and secretary of Chicago Veterinary Medical Association. The CVMA is the largest regional association in the country with 1,400 members. Dr. Brar was also the executive board member of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association for 3 years. He was member of Cook County Executive council of University of Illinois extension from 2005-2013 and chaired nomination committee for 4 years.
Dr. Brar, who writes for local newspapers on pet-related subjects, and appears on television, has received numerous meritorious service awards from Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association and by University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni.
A resident of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty Feb. 27, to threatening to burn down the home that was being purchased by a Muslim family.
David H. Howard, 59, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, to one count of threatening, intimidating, and interfering with a Muslim family’s “enjoyment of their housing rights,” a violation of Title 42 of the U.S. Criminal Code 3631, the Justice Department announced, noting that hate crimes would not be tolerated and fully prosecuted.
Howard threatened to burn down the home which the family sought to purchase in the Davis Islands neighborhood of Tampa, simply because it was being purchased by a Muslim family.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. Howard faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000.
According to court documents, on Nov. 3, 2016, a Muslim man, identified only as K.A. in the Justice Department press release, and his wife were conducting the final walk-through of a home they had placed under contract. As K.A. arrived for the final walk-through, Howard accosted him, and the seller and real estate agents, and yelled, “This sale will not take place!”
Howard went on to threatened to burn the house down, and told K.A., “You are not welcome here!” K.A. and his wife hurried away from the house and cancelled the closing of the home purchase that was scheduled to take place the next day.
In the days that followed, Howard retold his version of the incident to neighbors, making insulting remarks about Muslims.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate illegal threats or acts of intimidation against any individual because of their religious beliefs,” Acting Assistant Attorney John Gore of the Civil Rights Division, is quoted saying in the press release. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute hate crime offenders.”
“Individuals and families should have the right to live wherever they choose, without intimidation or fear,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida. “Crimes perpetrated against people because of their race, ethnicity, color, or religious beliefs simply cannot be tolerated. And, we will prosecute those who commit these crimes to the fullest extent possible.”
Amin Arbabian, assistant professor of electrical engineering, right, and graduate student Angad Rekhi demonstrate their ultrasonic wake-up receiver and the circuit boards used to test its performance. (Image credit: Arbabian Lab)
NEW YORK – Have you ever turned off your phone due to low battery and end up missing a number of phone calls messages and alarms?
Well, not to worry, because Angad Rekhi, an Indian American graduate student at Stanford University and his partner Amin Arbabian, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University, have developed a wake-up receiver for smart phone, according to a press release.
Rekhi and Arbabian’s wake-up receiver allows a device that is shut off, to turn on in response to incoming ultrasonic signals which are inaudible to the human ear unlike radio waves.
“By working at a significantly smaller wavelength and switching from radio waves to ultrasound, this receiver is much smaller than similar wake-up receivers that respond to radio signals, while operating at extremely low power and with extended range,” the press release states.
This wake-up receiver also gives smart devices the ability to communicate directly with one another without human intervention.
“As technology advances, people use it for applications that you could never have thought of. The internet and the cellphone are two great examples of that. I’m excited to see how people will use wake-up receivers to enable the next generation of the Internet of Things,” said Rekhi.
According to the press release here is how it works: “Once attached to a device, a wake-up receiver listens for a unique ultrasonic pattern that tells it when to turn the device on. It needs only a very small amount of power to maintain this constant listening, so it still saves energy overall while extending the battery life of the larger device.”
A well-designed wake-up receiver will also allow a device to be turned on from a significant distance however, designing these devices can be challenging.
“Scaling down wake-up receivers in size and power consumption while maintaining or extending range is a fundamental challenge, but this challenge is worth pursuing, because solving this problem can enable scalable networks of wake-up receivers working in our everyday environment,” Arbabian said, adding that in order to miniaturize the wake-up receiver and drive down the amount of power it consumes, Rekhi and him had to make use of the highly sensitive ultrasonic transducers which converted the analog sound input into electrical signals and were provided by the Khuri-Yakub lab at Stanford.
Though the ultrasound wake-up receiver requires a battery, it still has a much greater range than the wirelessly powered devices as it maintains a long lifetime due to an extremely low power draw.
The press release suggests that wireless power and wake-up receivers although serve different purposes, will hint at a turning point in devices that make up the internet of things.
Mushroom Oat Risotto With Gruyere. CREDIT: Photo by Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post.
This recipe applies the technique of making risotto to steel-cut oats, yielding a creamy, al dente dish that benefits not only from the grain’s unique, earthy taste but also from its whole-grain nutrition. Like all whole grains, oats are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, but oats contain a particular type of fiber called beta glucan that research suggests may be especially good for heart health.
That soluble fiber is also a factor making oats a good candidate for “risotto,” because it lends a thick, creamy texture when dissolved in the cooking broth. In experimenting with the savory dish, I have found the deep flavor of the grain pairs best with ingredients you might describe as earthy, hearty or nutty. Winter vegetables such as beets, carrots and squash work well, as do hearty herbs and aged cheeses.
Here, sauteed mushrooms, shallot, garlic, thyme, parsley and gruyere cheese amplify each other and the oats in the deep-flavor department for a profoundly tasty, intriguing and satisfying dish. Serve it as a starter or side for roasted poultry or meat, or swap in vegetable broth and serve it with a salad in a larger portion as a vegetarian main course.
Mushroom Oat Risotto with Gruyere
4 servings (makes 5 cups)
Steel-cut oats give this “risotto” a lovely, earthy flavor as well as whole-grain nutrition. Paired here with savory sauteed mushrooms, hearty herbs and nutty gruyere cheese, it makes a sumptuously satisfying side for roasted poultry or meat. Swap in vegetable broth and serve in a larger portion as a vegetarian main course.
Ingredients
5 cups no-salt-added or low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped (1/2 cup)
8 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dried, steel-cut oats (not quick-cooking)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
Steps
Heat the broth in a saucepan over medium heat; once it starts to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to low, cover and keep warm.
Heat the oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat; stir in the shallot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their water and begin to brown. Add the oats and cook for about a minute, stirring, until they are lightly toasted, then stir in the wine.
Add two ladles of the hot broth and cook, stirring frequently, until it is absorbed; then add one ladle of broth at a time, cooking until nearly absorbed each time, stirring frequently, until the oats are al dente; this will take about 25 minutes total. (You do not need to stir constantly.)
Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese until it is melted. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and a sprinkle of parsley.
Nutrition/Per serving: 310 calories, 12 g protien, 35 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholestrol, 300 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar
This is “the claw.” CREDIT: Photo by Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post.
Standing in line at the emergency room, makeshift bandage around my finger, I got to thinking: What could I have done differently while chopping those scallions? Are my knife skills really that bad? Am I going to bleed out through this wad of paper towels?
It’s possible nothing would have saved me the pain and embarrassment of slicing off a chunk of skin and nail from my left index finger while making a spicy tofu stirfry a few years ago. One errant chop left me with a wrapped digit the size of a sausage and quite possibly the smallest injury ever to require physical therapy. (Yes, there was lots of fingertip bending. And dips in hot wax.)
Still, I had to wonder, would “the claw” have made a difference?
Besides being the name of that really addictive arcade game, the claw is the common term for the way cookbooks, websites and many instructors tell you to hold whatever you’re chopping to avoid injury to the non-dominant hand, particularly the fingertips, as you guide food along a cutting board toward the knife in your other hand. It pretty much looks the way it sounds, but imagine the curled hand of an arthritic Disney villainess, and you’re just about there.
In the time since my trip to the ER, I toyed around with the claw when I cut the likes of onions and potatoes but never felt good about it. I was so uncomfortable, I was sure I’d end up achieving exactly the opposite of what I wanted to do and find myself right back at the hospital.
To try to overcome this apparent hamhandedness, I turned to Susan Holt, a longtime instructor and the co-founder of Washington recreational cooking school Culinaerie. Susan loves teaching knife skills classes. She’s the kind of person who can dice through a celery rib while maintaining eye contact with you. She knows the claw.
But Susan has news for you, which I am happy to convey: “You don’t have to do it,” she says. “You’re not on ‘Top Chef.'”
Chefs use the claw because that’s what they learn in culinary school. “We are inherent showoffs,” Susan tells me. “It’s not really necessary.” Susan even recalls having an ever-present divot between her two knuckles from where the knife kept skimming her finger.
I don’t need that. You don’t need that.
The truth is, if you are a typical home cook, you don’t have to hold the food that close to where your knife is slicing, or contort your fingers in a way that feels unnatural, because straining your wrist is a high price to pay for looking like Bobby Flay.
Instead of trying to do some as-seen-on- TV maneuver, you’re better off keeping in mind these simple tips:
Don’t use your non-dominant hand to push the food toward the knife. Use it to anchor the food. Your slicing motion should naturally lead you along whatever you’re chopping, and as that happens, you move your hand away from the knife.
Hold your hand as close to the knife as you feel comfortable.
Hold the hand guiding your food parallel or perpendicular to the one with the knife. Whatever you prefer.
Avoid distractions while chopping.
Know when to stop. One of my mistakes was insisting on getting every last bit of my scallions chopped. If there’s a little left, let it go. Or throw it on a salad. Or in your freezer bag of scraps for vegetable broth.
Keep your cutting board clear. If it’s too crowded, you’re going to start altering your motion, and that awkwardness could lead to a mishap.
Cut produce in half or slice off a thin edge so that you get a flat side you can put face down on the board. Safely gripping food is a lot easier when it’s not rolling around.
Please, make sure your knife is sharp. Dull blades mean sliding knives, which mean accidents, which means everything else I told you won’t matter.
MAKE SURE YOUR KNIFE IS SHARP. So that’s it, friends. You can master the claw – by not mastering it at all.
Hafeez Shahbudin Amarshi, president and director of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto, was appointed to Ontario Court of Justice Feb. 24. (Photo: SABA Toronto website)
Toronto, Ontario – The Attorney General of Ontario appointed a South Asian attorney to the Ontario Court of Justice.
Hafeez Shahbudin Amarshi, president and director of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto, was appointed to the provincial bench Feb. 24, according to a press release from SABA. The South Asian Bar Association of Toronto is one of the 26 chapters of the South Asian Bar Association, North America (NASABA).
Justice Hafeez Amarshi was called to the bar in 2002. He has worked as a criminal defense lawyer, and most recently, as Crown counsel for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. He also served on the Board of Directors for Flemingdon Community Legal Services and in 2012 was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, which recognizes contributions to Canadian citizenship and public service. The Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice Lise Maisonneuve has assigned Justice Amarshi to preside in Brampton, a region with a high population of people of South Asian origin.
“Justice Amarshi is recognized as a legal thought leader not only in Toronto but throughout Canada,” Rishi Bagga, President of SABA North America, is quoted saying in a press release. “SABA is pleased to see the growing representation of talented South Asians in the Canadian judiciary. We have every confidence that Justice Amarshi will be a great jurist,” Bagga added.
“In practice, Justice Amarshi was a kind, thoughtful and civil advocate. As SABA Toronto President, he was a capable leader. As a judge, he will be all those things and more,” added SABA Toronto’s immediate past president Ranjan Agarwal.
Gaurav Kapur, Ipsita Dasgupta, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh share a light moment during the Hotstar press conference, in Brooklyn, New York, on February 24, 2018. Photos: Peter Ferreira.
BROOKLYN, NY – It was a surreal feeling at MatchPoint NYC, a humungous 120,000 square feet fitness and health facility in the heart of Brooklyn, this past weekend, on February 24.
Adjacent to swimming pools, and tennis courts, a giant indoor cricket extravaganza, with plenty of interactive entertainment thrown in, was hosted by Hotstar – India’s largest premium live streaming service which was launched in the U.S. in September.
The meet featured two giants of Indian cricket, former Indian players Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, who flew down from India for the meet.
The Vivo IPL Hotstar CricFest at MatchPoint NYC was a publicity stunt for Hotstar, who acquired the digital streaming rights for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled from April 6 to May 27, 2018.
With a promotional one-month free watch, Hotstar is, no doubt, trying to make inroads into the market share of Willow TV, which is currently available only on cable and satellite.
Ipsita Dasgupta, President, Hotstar International, at Star India, an Indian American and former New Yorker who relocated to India 10 years ago, was present at the meet.
She showcased the features of the Hotstar app, compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as viewing on TV screens through devices like Roku.
This year, Hotstar will present the IPL matches with commentary in six different languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali.
The popularity of Hotstar in India can be gauged by the fact that its app got 340 million views for all 49 matches during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and over 200 million views during the IPL Season 8.
Fans take a cricket quiz.
The “engaging and immersion experience” as Dasgupta expressed it, to enjoy the dynamic IPL through interactive features on Android and IOs mobile devices, for the US and Canada audience, as well as media sharing facilities, was very much evident in the CricFest itself.
Popular sports presenter Gaurav Kapur moderated proceedings during a press conference, and later, for a chat with Kumble and Singh amidst almost 1,000 invited fans, from the tristate area.
“We are interested in the casual cricket fans here in the US, and we are constantly innovating to make their experience engaging and immersive,” said Dasgupta.
One of the food stalls.
Much before the fans got to hear Kumble and Singh reminisce about their past cricketing days and glory, there was plenty of entertainment, food and drinks at MatchPoint to enthrall the fans.
Attendees got to savor some delicious street food from each of the eight Indian cities that play in the IPL, located in mini stalls at an arena in MatchPoint, that had the feel of an expo, with dim lights, flashing screens, and huge billboards.
The superb dishes, concocted by Gaurav Anand, the chef-owner of Awadh, the popular Upper West side Indian restaurant located on Broadway, was a huge hit.
Attendees included Vissu Kottapalli, the co-founder of CricClubs, an online service that hosts cricket leagues for amateurs, and real-time scoring for games.
A fan takes to the batting cage.
For guests, there was also a professional batting cage in the arena, with tennis balls, as well as a virtual reality experience for cricketers who fancied their chances of hitting a few balls, without the agony of getting hit by a real bouncer.
A young fan gets an “immersive” cricket stadium experience.
Children and adults got to also get a virtual reality experience of hitting a ball in a stadium, and got a video shot of their prowess as a gif file, within seconds. There was also a section to take a cricket quiz. A ‘Waxy Hands’ section turned out to be popular among young fans.
“I want young Americans to take up cricket, learn it, and play at the highest levels,” said Kumble, speaking at the meet. “You only have to see what players from Afghanistan has done in the IPL. One day, (players from the) US will do the same,” he added.
“When you play cricket, whatever age it is, whether you are 14, or 30 years old, it keeps you younger,” said Singh, who will debut with the Chennai Superkings, after being a fixture of the Mumbai Indians for a decade, in this year’s IPL.
Anil Kuble and Harbhajan Singh sign autographs for fans.
There was a sense of euphoria, hard to believe that an actual game of cricket was not going to played at MatchPoint, as fans chanted in unison “Sachin, Sachin”, during short clips of video recordings of past matches that were played when Kapur sat down with Kumble and Singh for a chat.
A highlight of the evening was when a young fan, probably eight years old, asked of Singh, “How do you bowl a doosra?”
Harbhajan Singh gets ready to bowl a ‘doosra’.
Singh went on to exhibit his looping arm action, signature delivery, with a tennis ball, on an artificial cricket pitch in the middle of the arena.
The boy who asked the question was tutored by Singh, and tried his hand too at bowling the delivery, amidst warm applause.
Mumbai: Producer Boney Kapoor and actors Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor and Mohit Marwah accompany the body of late actress Sridevi to the Vile Parle Seva Samaj Crematorium and Hindu Cemetery for cremation in Mumbai on Feb 28, 2018. (Photo: IANS)
Mumbai, Feb 28 (IANS) Lakhs of people joined film stars and elebrities to bid adieu on Wednesday to the first lady superstar of India Sridevi, who was cremated here with state honours amidst outpouring of grief by her fans.
Sridevi’s daughters Janhvi and Khushi performed the final rituals before the body was consigned to flames in the electric crematorium in Vile Parle with husband Boney Kapoor standing by.
The funeral, marking the final journey of Sridevi, who died due to drowning in the bathtub of her hotel room in Dubai on Saturday night, was one of the largest in recent times in Mumbai city.
It started near her residence before reaching the crematorium after a three-hour long journey in a tall, open truck, fully decorated with white flowers — her favourite colour — with the body being draped in the national tricolour and carried in a glass casket, as cries of ‘Sridevi Amar Rahe’ by her fans rent the air.
Maharashtra government accorded full state honours for the funeral of Sridevi — who was conferred a Padma Shri in 2013, which included draping her body in the national tricolour, elaborate arrangements by the Mumbai Police and a gun salute before the cremation.
Inside the truck was Sridevi lying serene with full make-up, a large south Indian style vermillion and wearing a ceremonial gold and maroon coloured Kanjeevaram sari. A heavy, large necklace adorned her since she died a ‘suhaagan’ (one whose husband is still alive), giving the appearance of a resplendent ‘devi’ (Goddess) in deep slumber.
Her grieving family members including husband Boney Kapoor, her step-son Arjun Kapoor and brothers-in-law Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor were among those who travelled in the truck with the body.
The truck slowly negotiated the approximately six km passing through some of the poshest areas of Andheri and Vile Parle suburbs, with a massive portrait of Sridevi visible from a distance.
Several lakhs of people including students, office-goers and others accompanied or waited on both side of the roads, looked on from buildings and bungalow terraces. Many climbed on signals and lamp posts for a last glimpse of their beloved heroine.
In terms of sheer numbers, Sridevi’s funeral is estimated to have attracted the highest number of mourners, ranking on par with the previous biggest funeral processions of the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi (July 1980: around a million mourners), and India’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna (July 2012: a little less than a million mourners).
The other big funerals of non-political personalities in Mumbai included those of Raj Kapoor (June 1988) and Vinod Khanna (April 2017).
The procession was led by several family members, close relatives, friends and even neighbours of the Green Acres society where the family lived in Lokhandwala Complex.
Among the prominent personalities who attended the funeral in Vile Parle were Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Randhir Kapoor and others who came to bid a final goodbye to Sridev
Earlier, since dawn, thousands of teary-eyed fans and admirers of the late actress, many carrying flowers, had queued up outside the Celebration Sports Club at Lokhandwala Complex for a final ‘darshan’ of their idol.
After the flower-bedecked body was brought to the club premises a steady stream of celebrities came in their vehicles and where whisked inside to pay their last respects.
Among the early callers seen were Rekha, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Arbaaz Khan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Farah Khan, Nitin Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vidya Balan, Sushmita Sen, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Leela Bhandsali, Jackie Shroff, Farhan Akhtar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, John Abraham, Ajay Devgn and Kajol, Anupam Kher and Sulabha Arya, among others.
In the past four days since her demise, the Kapoor household had witnessed a steady stream of visitors including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Krishna Raj Kapoor.
Most of the visitors on Wednesday were sporting dark sunglasses to ward off the harsh early-summer glare, carrying flowers or small bouquets, embraced and consoled the bereaved family members, entering from the main entrance and leaving quickly from the other side as fans tried to catch a glimpse.
Sridevi’s body was flown to Mumbai from Dubai where she passed away following an accidental drowning in a bathtub in her hotel room around 11 pm on February 24, and from the airport was taken to the Kapoor residence in Green Acres.
Meanwhile, Green Acres housing society on Wednesday cancelled Holi celebrations as a mark of respect for Sridevi.
For the final journey, at the club and the crematorium, the Mumbai Police implemented elaborate security arrangements at various venues and arranged special traffic and crowd management
Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, who won the Democratic primary Feb. 27, to run for the U.S. Congress from Arizona’s District 8, seen here with her husband Kishore and their three children. (Photo: Facebook)
An Indian-American physician has won the Democratic primary in Arizona’s District 8, in her bid for the U.S. Congress.
“Thank you to everyone who knocked on a door, picked up a phone, & helped to spread our message through #AZ08! #grassroots,” Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room physician, said on Facebook. She had just defeated her Democratic opponent in the Feb. 27 primary and won the endorsement of her party for the District 8 seat in Arizona. There is a Special Election scheduled for April 24 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Congressman Trent Franks who quit in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.
Tipirneni beat her Democratic opponent Brianna Westbrook, an LGBTQ community activist. She now has to defeat the Republican primary winner Debbie Lesko to possibly become the 3rd Indian-American woman on Capitol Hill.
The AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee founded by an Indian-American Shekar Narasimhan, tweeted out immediately upon Tipirneni’s victory “Congratulations @Hiral4Congress #Mineta11 Candidate for winning Democratic Congressional District 8 primary https://t.co/7aS1ZNsTzI via @azcentral #AAPIPower” The organization has endorsed her and is raising funds for her campaign.
The New York Times does not give Tipirneni much of a chance at winning the seat describing District 8 as safely in Republican hands. Past elections results show Franks won 68.5 percent of the vote in the 2016 elections and almost 76 percent in 2014. However, it was a seat that was held by Democrat Gabby Giffords back in 2010. Giffords had to leave after being shot while addressing constituents. Giffords endorsed Tipirneni during the primaries.
The Arizona Democratic Party Chair Felecia Rotellini issued a statement congratulating Tipirneni, describing it as a hard-fought campaign. “She ran an incredible campaign focused on improving the lives of Arizonans in the Eighth Congressional District by offering real solutions for them. This is in direct contrast to the chaos Arizonans have seen on their television screens by the Arizona Republican Party,” Rotellini said, adding, ‘“The Eighth Congressional District deserves a representative that work to get things done for them – like safeguarding Social Security and Arizona’s AHCCCS while making sure their hard-earned tax dollars don’t go to waste in Washington. Dr. Hiral Tipirneni will do exactly that.”
The AAPIVictory Fund says “Dr. Hiral Tipirneni has dedicated her life to serving her community, solving problems, and improving lives,” and served the Phoenix area for more than 20 years as an emergency room physician, cancer research advocate and, most recently, on the board of directors of the Maricopa Health Foundation, which supports the county’s public health care delivery system.
According to the bio on AAPIVictory Fund, Tipirneni came to the U.S. at the age of 3 and was raised in Ohio in a blue-collar suburb of Cleveland. Following a childhood illness, she was inspired to learn more about medicine. She earned her medical degree through an accelerated, competitive program at Northeast Ohio Medical University. She is married to Dr. Kishore Tipirneni. The couple has three children.
Event planner Nitin Vyas, Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, founder and chairman, Parikh Worldwide Media; Dr. Kishor Ratkalkar; AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder, Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, Dr. Binod Sinha.
A recognition event was held for some individuals who raised funds in November, 2017, for hurricane victims, at Dr. Binod Sinha’s residence, in Edison, New Jersey.
Dr. Kishor Ratkalkar, Dr. Mukaram Gazzi, Nitin Vyas, Dr. Binod Sinha, AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder, Dr. Kusum Punjabi, Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, former AAPI President Dr. Hemant Patel, and Dr. Vinod Sanchatie.
Sumir Chadha (Photo courtesy of Sumir Chadha, Princeton University)
Indian American Sumir Chadha who graduated from Princeton University in 1993, has established the M.S. Chadha Center for Global India at Princeton University in efforts to bring scholars and students from all disciplines together to broadly explore contemporary India, including its economy, politics and culture.
The center is named in honor of Chadha’s grandfather, who was a distinguished physician and served as the director general of Health Services for India.
“India’s development since I attended Princeton University 25 years ago has been remarkable in many areas — economic progress, entrepreneurship, innovation and the arts. Applying Princeton’s world-class scholarship to the study of India will be of great benefit to India, Princeton and the world at large. I am grateful to President Eisgruber for his leadership in extending Princeton’s global reach through this important initiative. It also gives me tremendous pleasure to honor my grandfather, who was a great human being and mentor to me, by naming this center for him,” Chadha said in a press release.
Sanjay Swani, who graduated from Princeton University in 1987, and his wife Preeti, have endowed a professorship in the India studies program and established a global seminar that will take a group of students to India in the summer to learn about the nation and culture firsthand.
Other graduates of the university who are lending their support to Princeton’s exploration of India include Sheila Patel (1991), Aliya Nedungadi (1997), Ajit Nedungadi (1997), Kush Parmar (2002), Princess Padmaja Kumari Mewar (2002), Peter Wendell (1972) and Lynn Mellen Wendell (1977).
“India is at a pivotal moment in its history. A deeper understanding of its culture, economic growth and status as the world’s largest democracy is essential both to scholars and to the students who will become leaders of our global society,” said President Christopher L. Eisgruber, who traveled to India in 2016.
“Sumir Chadha and Sanjay Swani have worked tirelessly to help position Princeton as the premier center for the study of this tremendously influential nation. They have the University’s deepest gratitude, as do all who have helped to make this center possible,” he added.
Chadha earned a BSE in computer science as an undergraduate and he is the co-founder and managing director of WestBridge Capital Partners, a leading investment firm focused on India.
He is also a member of the advisory council of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS), and of President Eisgruber’s advisory council. He has served as the chairman of the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) and serves on the India Advisory Board of Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA.
Swani earned an A.B. in molecular biology at Princeton and is the chair of the advisory council of PIIRS as well as a member of the Bridge Year committee.
He has been a general partner at the firm of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe for 17 years and holds graduate degrees from Harvard University as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“The combination of classroom study and firsthand experience is more powerful than either of those on its own. Princeton students will now be able to learn from stellar faculty in the classroom, and travel to India to see their academic work brought to life. I am very happy to support this extraordinary educational experience,” Swani said in a press release.
Indian American billionaire Vinod Khosla was ordered to restore public access to Martin’s Beach by California courts and is now seeking to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, after the California Supreme Court declined to take the case last October, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Apparently, Martin’s Beach is about 30 miles south of San Francisco and can only be reached by a private road across Khosla’s property according to The Guardian.
Khosla, the technology investor and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, has been battling the case with the state for years now.
But he has consistently lost his legal fight due to the California state law that regulates access to the coastline and prioritizes public access to beaches.
In August 2017, a California appeals court had ordered Khosla to restore public access to the beach by unlocking the gate to the road, an order which he occasionally obeyed.
Last Thursday, Khosla filed a petition to the Supreme Court arguing that “the state law regulating California’s coastline is ‘Orwellian,’ and that the state court’s interpretation of the law in Khosla’s case ‘crosses a constitutional line.’”
According to The Guardian, “the ruling against Khosla ‘will throw private property rights in California into disarray,’ the petition states, ‘after all, petitioner is hardly the only private property owner along the vast California coast, or the only one who would prefer to exclude the public from its private property.’”
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, when the petition was filed last Thursday, coastal advocates said that “Khosla knew the rules of the Coastal Act when he bought the property surrounding the beach, and that his efforts now, if successful before the Supreme Court, could limit beach access for millions of Americans.”
Last year, Khosla’s lawyers said that he would allow the public to pass through his 53 acre land for $30 million; however, the State Lands Commission estimated that rights to use the path total 6.4 acres which have a market value of only $360,000.
Mark Massara, an attorney who has represented the Surfrider Foundation, called the appeal “a Hail Mary pass for a financial windfall” based on “preposterous” legal arguments and warned that if Khosla were to win, there could be a “financial free-for-all.”
“The only way they can find for Vinod is to throw out the entire California coastal program. It’s hard to fathom what would happen to California’s beaches and all beach access in the United States,” Massara told The Guardian.
Khosla began blocking access to Martin’s Beach by locking the gate to the private road in 2010 though it wasn’t until September of last year that the California Coastal Commission began an enforcement action against Khosla.
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, “under a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014, the Coastal Commission can fine people who build without permits along the coast or who block public access to beaches up to $11,250 per day or $4.1 million per year for up to five years,” adding that “landowners seeking to change the public’s degree of access to a beach must seek a permit,” which Khosla rejected to apply for.
The commission then sent a letter to Khosla naming at least five potential violations, including grading and subdividing the property without a permit, and potentially several more that could bring the penalties to more than $20 million, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
He could also face additional penalties of $15,000 a day or $5.47 million a year for up to three years and possibly could have liens placed on the property if he ever refuses to pay.
The Netflix logo is shown in this illustration photograph in Encinitas, California October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Blake/Files
Indian American Veena Sud is hoping to get a less critical reaction for her upcoming Netflix series Seven Seconds which focuses on the issue of race in America, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The show is about a hit-and-run of an African-American teenager by a Jersey City cop and how the crime is covered up by the white police force.
Sud’s last collaboration with Netflix was for her show The Killing, six and a half years ago, when it ended with a controversial finale in its first season.
“Netflix is the first and really the only place I wanted to go with the story, because I knew they’d do it right. It allows you not to have to repeat or dumb anything down…[with] the act break, or the ‘tune in next week’ thing. We can just watch a show in the same way you read a novel, with that level of intelligence and commitment and depth,” Sud told the Hollywood Reporter.
Seven Seconds is in some ways an even more ambitious than The Killing with over 10 episodes taking a “brutal look at the systemic racism that allows crimes like the one that opens the show to go unpunished” while showing the “challenges ingrained stereotypes around race and gender.”
“We had such a great experience working with Veena on The Killing that we were very eager to work with her again. I admire that she’s looking to explore these types of stories and am proud to support her. They may be darker, harrowing and complicated, but [they’re] very necessary,” Allie Goss, the vice president of Netflix original series, told the Hollywood Reporter.
Sud does not know what lies beyond the first 10 episodes but is hopeful for more seasons and “feels blessed to be working with a company whose outlook and ambition mirrors her own.”
“At the end of the day, creators make artistic choices. That’s what we do,” she told the Hollywood Reporter.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks about banning devices that can be attached to semiautomatic guns to make them automatic, during a Public Safety Medal of Valor Awards Ceremony at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Due to the harsh immigration laws that President Donald Trump’s administration has been putting into force, the number of Indian students enrolling for graduate-level programs in computer science and engineering in the U.S. has declined by 21 percent or about 18,590 people in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to a recent report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).
In addition, the overall number of undergraduate international students has fallen 4 percent in 2017.
“Indian graduate students completing degrees in science and engineering at American universities are a major source of talent for American companies,” the report stated, adding that if this trend continues, it could have a negative impact on students, universities, companies and the American economy.
“The US government policy, such as the Trump administration’s announced plans to restrict the ability of international students to work after graduation, could accelerate any negative trends,” the report continued.
According to Quartz India, international students make up a large population of the students at most American universities, especially in tech fields.
“At many US universities, both majors and graduate programs could not be maintained without international students,” the NFAP stated in a report dated October 2017.
The Trump administration’s shield against immigration has become a major concern for Indian students and professionals, while it has not restricted Indians from getting a U.S. visa, it has still created a problem as the small steps which need to be taken has made the process hard for immigrant workers.
“For instance, it made the process of applying for the much sought-after H-1B visas far more stringent and is reworking the policy of issuing work permits to the spouses of H-1B visa-holders employed in the U.S.,” Quartz India said.
Richard Burke, the CEO of Envoy, a global immigration management platform for employers, told Quartz India that “the U.S. needs to collectively acknowledge the value of highly-educated foreign nationals and provide for them an environment in which they and their families can thrive, while simultaneously avoiding the abuses that have led to negative public opinion in this area.”
Many Indians have even given up their dreams for a high-paying job in the U.S. and have stayed in India over the last year.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan staff and advisors join the Consul General of India in celebrating the Conulate General support of the Museum’s future exhibit, “The Namaste Express.” From left to right: Ellen Bari, Sameer Gupta, Rajeev Narang, Judith Hannan, Andrew Ackerman, Consul General of India Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul Vipul Mesariya, Josheen Oberoi, Anu Seghal, Priya Israni and Lizzy Martin. (Credit: Alex Tirer)
The Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty paid a visit to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan on February 28 and presented a check for $10,000 in support of the Museum’s upcoming exhibit The Namaste Express.
In an earlier News India Times report, it was stated that the Children’s Museum of Manhattan wants to “celebrate the beauty and diversity of India’s different cultures and languages along with its history and technological advancements” within the exhibit.
Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty speaks at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. (Credit: Alex Tirer)
Lizzy Martin, the Director of Exhibition Development and Museum Planning, told News India Times at an introductory event on Nov. 6, 2017, “The exhibition will be conceptualized as an interactive train journey through the country. The exhibition layout will allow children and families to make multiple stops at states and cities in India and sample the variety of architectural styles, cultures and environments through colors, shapes, structures and landscapes.”
The Namaste Express exhibit will be opening at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan this summer.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan staff and members of “The Namaste Express” exhibit advisory board celebrate the visit of the Indian Consul General to the Museum in support of the exhibit. From left to right: Ellen Bari, Priya Israni, Anu Seghal, Josheen Oberoi, Lizzy Martin and Sameer Gupta. (Credit: Alex Tirer)
India-born American Carlos Cordeiro has been elected as the president of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), according to The New York Times.
Cordeiro, 61, will be taking the place of Sunil Gulati who had been the president since 2006 and announced in December that he will not run for another term.
As president, Cordeiro intends to take U.S. Soccer to the next level “to achieve our vision of growing the game and making soccer the preeminent sport in America” while thinking bigger and aiming higher.
“I think we are at an inflection point in soccer history in this country. I think we have an opportunity to really transform it into a No. 1 sport. I think the demographics favor that,” Cordeiro told The New York Times.
According to his website, Cordeiro wants to strengthen the sport by growing the game at all levels, developing world-class national teams and ensuring open, inclusive and transparent leadership.
On his website Cordeiro says that he is a business executive who is now retired but has had more than 30 years of experience in international finance.
“I became a partner at Goldman Sachs in the early 1990s and was later appointed Vice Chairman-Asia where I advised governments, global corporations, and international financial institutions,” he states on his website.
Cordeiro has also been an independent director with BHP Billiton from 2005 to 2015, where he focused on governance, finance and risk management, according to his website.
Cordeiro has been a life-long soccer fan.
He has served as an unpaid volunteer to USSF for the past 10 years along with being the vice president of the organization since 2016.
“I have also served as Treasurer, Chair of the Budget Committee, Director of the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the Federation’s first Independent Director. In addition, I represent U.S. Soccer on the CONCACAF Council and FIFA’s Stakeholders Committee,” he says on his website.
Cordeiro’s mother is Colombian and his father is Portuguese, but he himself was born in India and came to the U.S. in 1956 when he was 15 years old.
He then became an American citizen 10 years later and went to Harvard College and Harvard Business School.
As a philanthropist, he has “supported nonprofit causes that reflect my commitment to education and healthcare” while he held director-level positions at many charities.
According to The New York Times, Cordeiro took his position immediately and although his term as vice president ran through 2020, there is no report of whether a special election will be held for his replacement.
The New York Times reported that “the combined United States-Canada-Mexico bid to host the 2026 World Cup is due in a month; a men’s national team coach needs to be hired; technical directors will probably be hired for the national teams; and the federation is a defendant in a number of lawsuits.”
(This story was updated with corrections and revisions, on March 1, 2018)
HAB BANK, nation’s oldest and largest South Asian American bank, hosted a dinner on Friday, February 16, for its Iselin Branch valued customers at The Marigold, Somerset, New Jersey. The event was organized by the Bank’s Iselin Branch to thank and pay tribute to the community that the Bank serve. Over 300 guests included successful entrepreneurs and professionals who attended the gala dinner. Mr. Girish Vazirani, Vice President & Branch Manager, Iselin Branch welcomed the guests and expressed HAB’s gratitude for their presence at the dinner.
Guests at the dinner.
In his welcome speech, HAB’s President & CEO Saleem Iqbal thanked the invited guests for taking time out from their busy schedule to be at the HAB’s Customer Appreciation Gala Dinner. The dinner coincided with HAB’s yearlong celebration of its 35 Years of service to the community. Mr. Iqbal devoted much of his speech highlighting the history of South Asian Community and presence in the United States, which dates back to 1820. The origin was not without struggles and challenges. He pointed out that early migrants from South Asia paved the way to whole new generation of successful South Asians playing pivotal roles in a number of disciplines and industries. From software pioneers in Silicone Valley, mainstream politics, academia and to successful artists in TV and Films, South Asian community has made its mark. Mr. Iqbal highlighted some of the business leaders of South Asian origin that have become an integral part of American landscape and are contributing to our adopted home USA.
HAB BANK CEO Saleem Iqbal and Vice President & Branch Manager Girish Vazirani.
Since its charter in 1983, HAB has made great strides and is now the largest South Asian American bank in the United States. Mr. Iqbal highlighted that HAB’s success and progress is primarily because of its dedicated employees and customers at each and every branch.
The audience at the dinner.
Besides a large number of clients, HAB’s Imran Habib, Rizwan Qureshi, Zilay Wahidy, Girish Vazirani and several staff members and senior executives attended the event. Multiple media outlets such as ARY Digital, TV Asia, TV 9 and India Life & Times, and Desi Talk extensively covered HAB’s Gala Dinner.
About HAB BANK
HAB BANK was founded in 1983 and since its inception, it has played a key role in nurturing and strengthening the South Asian community with branch network located in New York, New Jersey and California. Through the years, the Bank has evolved in response to needs of its customers and maintains a close relationship with the community it serves.
The Bank’s core products are Commercial Real Estate Mortgages, International Trade Services, US Small Business Loans and a well-designed commercial banking products and services for small to medium sized businesses. The Bank also has a wide range of consumer products and services including personal checking, savings, CDs, and full-service online banking. The Bank is fully committed to remain engaged and pro-active in meeting the banking requirements of its customer and, above all, continues to work towards “Building Relationships”.
A banner for Aircel Ltd. is displayed outside a mobile phone store in Mumbai on Oct. 24, 2016. (Bloomberg photo by Dhiraj Singh)
It was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Malaysian tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan’s five-decade career.
But his $7 billion bet on mobile carrier Aircel may instead go down as one of the biggest-ever flops by a foreign investor in India, a stark reminder that doing business in the world’s fastest-growing major economy is often a lot tougher than it looks.
Krishnan’s holding company stands to lose all the money it poured into Aircel over the past 12 years, people with knowledge of the matter said, after the carrier filed to start bankruptcy proceedings this week. Buffeted by intense competition and regulatory uncertainty, Aircel is the latest in a long list of casualties in an Indian telecom market that only a few years ago was luring foreign entrants in droves.
While international companies have fared much better in India’s buoyant consumer products and financial services industries, the turmoil in telecom is unlikely to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign to lure more foreign capital. In January, his government eased restrictions on foreign direct investment in several sectors, including single brand retail, real estate brokerages and power exchanges.
“India has always been a difficult market, even as it offers the prospects of great demographics and a billion-plus population,” Sampath Reddy, chief investment officer at Pune-based Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co., said by phone. “The Aircel episode definitely has lessons in the offing for anyone who starts a business in the country.”
Krishnan, 79, spent about $800 million to purchase Aircel in 2006, when less than 10 percent of India’s 1.1 billion people owned a mobile phone and the scope for growth looked nearly limitless.
By that time, the Harvard Business School graduate had already established himself as one of Malaysia’s most powerful billionaires, with controlling stakes in the country’s biggest mobile-phone and pay-television operators and close ties to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Faced with lackluster growth at home, Krishnan saw India’s booming market as key to his empire’s future. And he was willing to invest big to make Aircel a success.
Over the years, Maxis Communications, the holding company in which Krishnan owns a 45 percent stake, made about $3.4 billion of shareholder advances to Aircel, one of the people with knowledge of the matter said. Maxis Communications also bought $1.2 billion of common stock and subscribed to $1.6 billion of redeemable preference shares, the person said.
While he had deep pockets, Krishnan failed to anticipate how cutthroat India’s telecom market would become. With nearly a dozen players jockeying for market share, call rates in the country plunged to some of the lowest levels worldwide. Competition has only intensified since 2016, when Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., owned by India’s richest man, stormed into the market and offered free calls.
Aircel made a last-ditch effort to gain scale by attempting a merger with Reliance Communications Ltd. A setback came in January 2017, when India’s highest court barred Aircel from selling or leasing its airwaves amid a broader graft lawsuit. The deal eventually collapsed in October last year.
The company summed up its dire situation in a Twitter post on Wednesday announcing the bankruptcy filing, saying Aircel had been “facing troubled times in a highly financially stressed industry, owing to intense competition following the disruptive entry of a new player, legal and regulatory challenges, high level of unsustainable debt and increased losses.”
A representative for Maxis Communications declined to comment.
After Aircel, Krishnan is likely to spend more time focusing on his other businesses, which include Malaysian carrier Maxis Bhd. and pay-TV operator Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd., the person with knowledge of the matter said. Both companies are still profitable, though their stock prices have dropped by an average 10 percent over the past year, versus a 9.6 percent gain in Malaysia’s benchmark equity index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
That doesn’t mean Krishnan is giving up on India entirely. He still controls a stake in South Asia FM Ltd., a radio broadcaster, and TV service provider Sun Direct. The businesses are performing well, and Krishnan currently has no plans to sell, the person said.
RISHIKESH: The 29th annual, world-famous International Yoga Festival (IYF) at Parmarth Niketan, on the banks of River Ganga, which began on March 2, saw more than 1,500 participants from 92 nations.
The IYF offered daily classes from 4:00 am until 9:30 pm, with more than 80 revered saints, yogacharyas, presenters and experts from nearly 18 countries around the world.
Ashtanga Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Bharat Yoga, Ganga Yoga, and Somatics Yoga were just a few of the nearly 200 different offerings throughout the week.
There were also classes in meditation, mudras, Sanskrit chanting, reiki, Indian philosophy and spiritual discourses to be held by revered spiritual leaders from India and abroad.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, in 2015, the United Nations named June 21st as International Yoga Day, leading to a resurgence of yoga practitioners across borders.
Last year, Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President of Parmarth Niketan and founder of the International Yoga Festival, and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji, Director of the International Yoga Festival, led International Yoga Day events at the United Nations in New York.
Yoga, once an art restricted only to the sages of the high Himalayas, is now practiced by some 300 million people worldwide, making Parmarth Niketan’s International Yoga Festival a tremendous draw for individuals from around the world.
Says Pujya Swamiji about the festival: “Yoga is all the way from the United Nations to the United Creations on the banks of Ganga!”
The festival was inaugurated by the Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on March 3. at 11:00am.
The festival this year will also be blessed with the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who will attend the Ganga Aarti as well as lead a special meditation and inauguration of Parmarth Niketan’s Lord Buddha statue.
On the eve of the festival, participants joined together for a special Ganga Aarti ceremony.
The first day of the festival saw a beautiful tapestry of participants representing the world’s faiths, nations, cultures, races and regions as Argentinians, Afghans, Israelites, Iranians, Japanese, Kenyans, Italians, Americans, Yemenis and people from numerous other nations formed bonds of togetherness under the common flag of yoga.
The first day of the festival began at 4:00 am with Kundalini Sadhana led by Gurushabd Singh Khalsa from California, followed by pre-breakfast classes including, Vinyasa Yoga with Akira Watamoto of Japan, Vinyasa Strength with Krishnamurthy Mohan Raj of China, and Kundalini Yoga with Gloria Latham of Canada.
After breakfast, the morning intense asana classes took place with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, founder of Golden Bridge Yoga in California, teaching Kundalini yoga, Deborah Langely of Australia teaching Lotus Flow Vinyasa, H.S. Arun of Bangalore teaching Iyengar Yoga, as well as Mert Guler of Turkey leading a beautiful Sufi Meditation class. Joanna Faso of the US taught a Sanskrit Mantra Workshop focusing on the Maha Mrtyunjaya mantra.
Later, the Spiritual Discourse Series commenced with a highly-motivational address by Sri Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji and renowned biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, who uplifted and inspired the audience with a talks on the influence of our thoughts on our cells and the importance of spiritual practice.
The highlights of the afternoon included a talk on the role of yoga to make a healthy world by Dr. Ishwar Basavaraddi, a Bhakti Yoga session with Daphne Tse of US, a Cosmic Intelligence Plus Meditation with Maa Gyaan Suveera, Maharishi Meditation with Laura Plumb of California, and Raga Sound Healing with Tilak Vishvas.
The later afternoon classes included Kundalini Yoga classes with Tommy Rosen and Kia Miller of California, Yin Yoga with Yujia of China, Lila Yoga with Eric Kaufman of Pennslyvania, Yogi Yoga with Mohan Bhandari, originally of Rishikesh and now of China, as well as a beginner’s introduction class to meditation and asana with Katie B Happy of California. On the Sacred Sound Stage, Cheryl Friedman of US led a session on “Vocal Bliss: Finding Your Soul Voice.”
There was also a special advance Holi celebration with eco-friendly colors along the banks of Ganga, filled with music and dancing. On march 3, there will be a burning of the Holika effigy.
During Ganga aarti, Sadhvi Bhagawatiji explained to all the participants about the deeper meaning of Holi and the story of the devotee Prahlad with what Holika represents.
After dinner, participants were thrilled to have the special occasion of a concert by world famous percussionist Sivamani – a true ecstatic experience of drums, music and rhythm, soul, and dance — alongside renowned violinist and composer Balabhaskar.
Sivamani’s style is deeply profound and mysterious at one moment; tantalizing and exuberant at the next. However, augmenting the brute power, are his rhythmic style and harmony, which surrounds the discerning listener with warmth, joy and bliss.
Kia Miller, from California, said of the meet: “Attending the IYF in Rishikesh is a must for all serious practitioners who want an authentic India experience and introduction to the holistic approach of yoga. We practice on the banks of Ganga, listen to satsangs with living Saints and master teachers, and commune with like-minded people.”
Bolstering it’s debut this past Saturday, Zee TV’s new family quiz show Americas Smartest Family (ASF) has seem to have attracted some of the top advertisers and brand names servicing the South Asian demographic.
A quick look at the show revealed State Farm Insurance as the presenting sponsor, McDonalds as the Co-presenting sponsor, Remitly as the powered by sponsor and Kawan Foods along with St. Judes as Associate sponsors.
This stellar line up of brands bears testimony to the need of local and relevant programming for the community. Zee TV has taken the much awaited initiative to program locally sourced content for audiences in the US. ASF joins a growing list of local programs developed by Zee TV that include “Married in 7 days”, “Breakthrough”, “Made in America” and “Those who Made It”.
All shows are being developed and produced in the US and contain relevant content designed specifically to target the evolving South Asian demographic.
“For Kawan, it’s important to continually connect with our consumer. The Kawan brand is specifically. Catering to the Desi audience living in the US and it is our endeavor to always support initiatives that drive locally sourced content”, said Tim Tan, Managing Director of Kawan Foods.
Hosted by 23-year-old YouTube sensation Zaid Ali, “America’s Smartest Family” is a unique mashup of the American household favorites “Family Feud” and “Jeopardy,” but with that special ZEE TV twist that celebrates its South Asian heritage. Complete with a diverse set of categories and a buzzer, each episode will feature five challenging in-studio question rounds, testing pre-screened contestants on their ability to answer quickly and more importantly – their ability to work as a team. Only the fastest, most well-rounded family will get to take home the crown.
Round one consists of four questions, with a toss deciding which family goes first. Participants can choose from one of five topics – including science, math, arts, history and geography. Once a category is chosen, it may not be selected for the remainder of the round. During the first round, 100 points will be awarded for every correct answer. There are no deductions for wrong answers until round three and four, when a mistake can cost a team 100 points for every incorrect answer.
As the game progresses, questions become increasingly difficult. By rounds three and four – each correct answer is worth 200 points. During the fifth and final round, the game takes a turn and host Zaid Ali spices things up by offering clues. If the team answers correctly without a clue, a maximum of 1000 points is awarded. If the family choses to get clues, each clue costs them 200 points. At the end of five rounds, scores may vary from -2400 to 5500. In the event of a tie, an extra tie-breaker round will identify the winner.
In the first four episodes of the season, four families will compete against one another, accumulating points for every correct answer. The eight winning teams from those early contents will move onto the semi-finals until just two families remain. The winners of the semi-finals will make it to finals, for the ultimate face-off, where one family will be named “America’s Smartest Family.”
“Nobody will dispute the fact that there is demographic shift in the South Asian Segment in USA. More than 35% of the market now reporting to be born in the United States, it is challenging yet exiting times for Indian programmers that so far have depended upon the first generation for consumption. Efforts like Zee US originals give us that opportunity that not only expands our reach but also engage the existing viewer more deeply.
We are extremely happy and feel privileged to have the support of these brands for the show. They share and support our vision for the community. Also Very proud of our ad sales team for all their smart work,” said Sameer Targe, Head of Americas for Zee TV.
“America’s Smartest Family” is broadcast every Saturday at 9:00 p.m. EST; 9:30 p.m. PST; and 9:00 p.m. AST on ZEE TV.
To learn more about “America’s Smartest Family,” visit https://www.zeeoriginals.com/americas-smartest-family/
About Zee Network Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited is one of India’s leading television media and entertainment companies. It is amongst the largest producers and aggregators of Hindi programming in the world, with an extensive library housing over 222,000 hours of television content. With rights to more than 3,818 movie titles from foremost studios and of iconic film stars, ZEE houses the world’s largest Hindi film library. Through its strong presence worldwide, ZEE entertains over 1 billion viewers across 172 countries.
About Zee TV USA Zee TV USA was the first ever Hindi General Entertainment channel to be launched in the US way back in 1998. Since the start of the journey more than 2 decades ago, Zee now has 43 networks and full time dedicated work force across 5 different locations all across the North America and Caribbean. Zee TV USA was the first Asian channel to launch in HD. Zee TV was the first Hindi network to be measured by Nielsen in the US, Zee TV is also the most widely available Hindi General Entertainment network on all major DTH, Cable, Telco and IPTV platforms with availability over 86 million US households.
