WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Federation of Kerala Associations in North America (FOKANA) has launched a summer internship program for Malayalee American students currently enrolled in US colleges and universities. The program will allow selected students to work in congressional and other federal offices in Washington, DC, for several weeks, while earning credits. FOKANA will provide a stipend to the interns, according to a press release.
“Our goal is to develop a generation of leaders from the Malayalee community in the United States and equip them to serve the nation for decades to come,” said Dr. Babu Stephen, President of FOKANA. “The interns will get an inside view of how the federal government works and they will get to serve alongside some of the finest minds in politics and public service.”
“Malayalees have made substantial contributions to the American society in a broad range of fields, including healthcare and technology,” said Dr. Stephen, who was elected president of FOKANA last summer.
“However, the community has been behind in political engagement, compared to many other immigrant groups. As a result, we have been punching below our weight, politically,” he said. “FOKANA, the oldest and most influential Malayalee group in North America, wants to fill the lacuna.”
The Washington, DC-based entrepreneur said the internship is one of a series of measures that the organization will be undertaking during his two-year presidency to increase the political participation among members of the community.
“As the adage goes, if you are not at the table, you will be on the menu,” Dr. Stephen said.
More details about the internship program and the application process are available on the organization’s website, https://fokanaonline.org, said Dr. Kala Shahi, the Secretary of FOKANA.
Those interested may also contact Nisha Eric, Director of FOKANA Internship, via email at fokanainternship@fokanaonline.org, or by phone at 901-239-0556.
The Federation of Kerala Associations in North America is the largest and oldest umbrella organization of Malayalees in North America, with more than 70 member associations in the US and Canada. Founded in 1983, the organization has promoted the rich culture and heritage of Kerala in North America and championed the causes of Indian Americans and Indian Canadians for more than four decades, according to the press release.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The longest-serving Indian American Congressman, Ami Bera has lost his bid to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries choosing Rep. Suzan DelBene for the job.
Bera had thrown his hat in the ring last month saying his “skills and experiences” made him “the best choice” to lead the DCCC, “at this pivotal moment as we seek to win in 2024 and deliver for the American people.” Bera and Tony Cárdenas, both California representatives, were in the race for DCCC chair, but party leaders ultimately decided they needed to elevate a woman to the role, media reported citing unnamed sources.
The House Democratic caucus adopted an amendment during a closed-door meeting last month that allows the leader to appoint the chair of the DCCC instead of the position being an elected one. The amendment was originally proposed by DelBene, as well as Reps. Brad Schneider of Illinois and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin.
DelBene’s appointment will need to be ratified by the full Democratic caucus.
DelBene, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, is the outgoing chair of the New Democrat Coalition, made up mostly of pro-business Democrats, including lawmakers representing swing districts, according to media. She succeeds New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who lost reelection to his Lower Hudson Valley seat last month.
In a letter to his colleagues on Nov 14, Bera, who has represented California’s 7th Congressional District since 2013, claimed House Democrats defied history in the 2020 election.
“Not only did our frontliners win close races, but we flipped several Red to Blue seats and we broadened and strengthened our base through historic turnout from young voters.”
“As we head into 2024, the stakes could not be higher for the American people,” wrote Bera who was Frontline Chair for the DCCC, responsible for overseeing the efforts to reelect Democratic Members of Congress in competitive seats.
However, Bera’s candidacy also “came with some baggage” as his opponents resurfaced reports that his father had been sentenced in 2016 after prosecutors tracked “at least $260,000 in illegal contributions funneled through donors but secretly paid by the elder Bera through multiple bank accounts used to further cover his tracks,” according to media reports.
WASHINGTON (TIP): Three Indian nationals, including a woman, have drowned after they fell through the ice while walking on a frozen lake in the US state of Arizona. The incident occurred on December 26 at 3.35 pm at Woods Canyon Lake in Coconino County, Arizona.
“The missing men are located deceased and identified as Narayana Muddana, 49, and Gokul Mediseti, 47. The female victim has been identified as Haritha Muddana (age unknown). The three victims resided in Chandler, Arizona, and are originally from India,” Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said in a statement on Tuesday. Chandler is a suburb of Phoenix.
Officials said they were able to pull Haritha from the water soon after and administered life-saving measures but were unsuccessful and she died at the scene, it said.
Crews then began searching for Narayana and Mediseti, who had also fallen into the lake. The two men were found dead on Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.
All three bodies have been recovered. According to a statement released by officials with CCSO, “deputies stationed at a substation in the area were called to the lake after two men and a woman were walking on the frozen lake and fell through the ice”.
SACRAMENTO (TIP): Mikey Hothi, whose parents are from Punjab, has been unanimously elected as the mayor of Lodi city in northern California, becoming the first Sikh to hold the top position in the city’s history. Hothi was nominated by newly elected councilwoman Lisa Craig, who won election to mayor Mark Chandler’s seat in November and was unanimously selected vice mayor during Wednesday’s meeting. He represents the council’s fifth district and served as vice mayor this past year under mayor Chandler, who announced last summer he would not seek re-election.
“Honored to be sworn in as the 117th Mayor of the City of Lodi,” Hothi tweeted on Friday.
His family was also instrumental in founding the Sikh temple on Armstrong Road, local newspaper The Lodi News-Sentinel reported.
“Our experience is similar to that of the Hispanic community that came before us, the Greek community, the Germans,” Hothi was quoted as saying in the report.
“Everyone came to Lodi because they realized it was a safe family town. (It has) great education, great people, great culture, great values, and just hard-working people in this town. I’m just proud to represent this community as its next mayor,” it said.
Hothi, who graduated from Tokay High School in 2008, said that growing up in the city was a challenge, especially post-9/11, when many Muslims and Sikhs experienced unfair harassment.
But Hothi, whose parents are from Punjab, explained that his family not only survived but thrived in Lodi. Many became business owners and entrepreneurs who still manage successful companies today, the report said.
Challenges, if taken seriously, are often productive as they determine the path of progress. The turn of the year is the time not only to look back but also to set new challenges and targets ahead.
Punjab, once the sword and sports arm of the country, is at a crossroads. Its economy is tottering at the brink. Problems of drug addiction, suicides, unemployment, continuous exodus of youth, gangsterism, pollution, diversification of agriculture and poor delivery of civic services are aggravating day by day. Though AAP, the new ruling party in the State, has been in the saddle for more than nine months, long standing problems continue to elude solutions. The State needs a perestroika to be back on its footing as a dynamic and prosperous leader.
The Bhagwant Mann Government in the State has been patting its back for a number of revolutionary decisions it has taken in the first nine months of its governance. These include “zeero electricity bills”, start of 100 Mohalla clinics besides starting bus service to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi from various district headquarters, it has taken in the first nine months. It is also claiming credit for introducing “single pension for MLAs”, regulate supply of sand and gravel at affordable rates, control corruption in public offices and improving school education. The less said the better.
Intriguingly The State government was concerned more for wowing voters in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in its party fold than redress the chronic problems facing the State. Inserting full page advertisements in newspapers not read in the State and on TV channels that have larger viewership outside the geographical terrains of the State have evoked severe criticisms, both from the political opponents as well as eminent social scientists. These extra ventures in far off “greener” pastures even failed to get the ruling party mileage it was expecting to get. The only gain, as it claims, has been in its status of becoming a national party with its nominees sitting in four Assemblies. The progress on the national political horizon may be commendable for a party that made its debut less than a decade ago. Still, it falls far short of expectations of the people who have been posing their electoral trust in hoping it to be a harbinger of change in a country that has primarily been ruled by two parties – Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party – with brief spells of rule by alliances.
AAP may be working for a larger agenda as it has set its eyes to be a major political opponent to Narendra Modi’s BJP. It has been preparing itself for its bigger political challenge, the 2024 general elections. To succeed, it has to keep its already acquired flock together. Punjab and Delhi will be its biggest testing grounds. It has additional challenges and issues confronting the State. Farmers are still up in arms. Industry is facing a plethora of problems. Health care and basic civic infrastructure, including provision of safe potable water and disposal of solid garbage have been engaging the attention of the State but without much reprieve.
One of the major challenges facing the State is shortage of funds. It keeps looking towards the Centre for special packages rather than cutting down its wasteful expenditure, including its publicity budget besides rationalizing its security expenditure. Growing budget of subsidies and diminishing channels generating revenue coupled with rapidly increasing expenditure on maintenance of establishment, including the security of Chief Minister and other VIPs, are all contributing factors for the deteriorating fiscal health of the State.
Strong statesmanship and all-out effort to redress some of the chronic problems of the State are the minimum the people of the State expect from the incumbent government in the New Year. Looking for help from outside, including investments, is laudable but the State cannot be dependent upon others and the doles from the Centre. Punjab needs a hard and strong push as it will have to fight its own battle. Think more of Punjab than Delhi or Gujarat should be the motto of Bhagwant Mann government.
(Prabhjot Singh is a senior journalist. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com
Phone: +1 647 241 3806/+91 98140 02189
visit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye)
Every year is unique in itself. If you love soccer and happen to be a fan of Argentina, the year 2022 could not have ended on a better note. The FIFA World Cup 2022, first mega soccer event to be held on Asian Arab soil, may have brought the world, riddled by factionalism and unending East-West rivalry, together but peace continues to elude the globe.
The world, even after two years, is still scarred by a possible revival of Corona pandemic in new attire. With economies shattered and inflation remaining uncontrollable, challenges of 2023 may shake humanity to its bones, with reliable quality health care remaining the biggest global challenge. Though the Russian President Putin has been quoted saying that he wants an immediate end to war in Ukraine, indications of the present conflicts make exit look remote. New Year 2023 will bring in new hopes, new challenges and a more complex and competitive world to live in. International travel will be no more the same. With uncertainty over Covid pandemic travelling to the coming year, a new world order, especially the one opposed to mandates and lockdowns, may push the global economies into a new fix. With interest rates rising and the household going out of control with no visible signs of inflation remaining within reasonable limits, the socio-economic fabric of the world at large is set for a drastic change. Governance and politics will face unforeseen challenges to set new equations in global order based on fiscal health of nations, both developed and developing. While 2022 will be part of history by the end of the week, it would, as usual, be remembered for witnessing heightened strife, partial to major failure in controlling disease and human suffering, and emerging new icons of global power. If international air travel got a big hit in the beginning of the year, air travel became a contentious issue with major airports presenting chaotic scenes with their inability to control rush as people wanted to enjoy freedom from shackles of state-induced mandates. Though the sports industry worth over 140 billion Euros started to vibrate again with major world sporting events, including FIFA World Cup, the 2022 Winter Olympic Games (boycotted by Political leaders of many nations, including the US and Canada), Commonwealth Games, T20 World Cup and US Open minus Novak Djokovic being held with spectators filling the stands, still many events, including the 2022 Asian Games, remained on hold. Russia and Belorussia continued to be on the hit list of both the IOC and the US-led lobby for its invasion of Ukraine, the world witnessed a number of nations, including Sri Lanka, crumbling under their fractured economies. Afghanistan landed in hands of the Taliban and the Chinese aggression over its claim of Taiwan remained bullish. When the year 2022 started, no one would have imagined China, Russia and Pakistan getting on one side leaving the US red-faced. India surprised all with its neutral stand on Russian invasion of Ukraine besides taking over the Presidency of the G20 promising to work for ending global terrorism and restoring the right of dignified existence of smaller and less powerful nations. Welcome year 2023. Let it be a year of the common man and not those playing with human values and lives. Hope you, 2023, bring along solutions to problems – poverty, disease, unemployment and inflation – for which the current powers have no answers.
(Prabhjot Singh is a senior journalist. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com
Phone: +1 647 241 3806/+91 98140 02189
visit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye)
New York-based Emmy-nominated Indian-American actor and filmmaker Tirlok Malik, who has been a leading voice for Indian American cinema, has made many important films about the Indian diaspora right from Lonely In America to Love lust and Marriage to Khushiyaan to On Golden years. He has been a part of many big stars films as a line producer such as with actors Rajnikanth, Surya, Kamal Hassan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, and Anupam Kher, Kangana Ranaut, Manisha Koirala, Deepti Naval, among others. He attended the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa last month.
In an interview with the Indian public broadcaster Doordarshan at the festival, Malik spoke about his films as well as about the experience of attending the film festival. “Coming to IFFI is always very special as one gets to meet fellow filmmakers and so it’s always very stimulating for the mind. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of visiting the biggest film festivals in the US, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I tell you that visiting IFFI this year has been one of my best festival experiences ever,” rejoices Malik.
The Indian-American film industry has undergone a lot of changes since Malik made Lonely in America. “When I made Lonely in America there were hardly any films about Indian immigrants. But the film’s success opened up new horizons for young filmmakers who wanted to touch upon similar issues,” recollects Malik who feels that the Indian-American film industry needs greater support from the Indian-American audience. “I have always felt that filmmaking is one area that Indians living in the USA need to make a bigger mark. There is a lot of talent and hopefully they will get a chance to shine. In times to come I see it growing into a much bigger film industry,” opines Malik.
Malik offers a very interesting assessment of films and filmmaking in India “The filmmaking is great in India.It caters to more than a billion viewers worldwide.Films are still a major source of entertainment for Indian audience,” Malik explains. He further adds, “Hollywood can make a lot more films with Indian themes as well as films shot in India more often. There is a lot of scope for this. Also, Indian filmmakers can also make films In India for International market as well. However, many Indian film makers, especially the big ones seem to be happy just doing Indian films for the Indians and have a safe market. But, some do take the risk of making independent films with artistic approach.”
Malik strongly believes that a lot more can be done. “India has talent, lots of talent in all aspects of filmmaking. I have seen the talent while working as a line producer In New York on films with Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth, Surya, Sunny Deol, Kangna Ranaut, Mamoothy, Sanjay Dutt, Anupam Kher and many more. The tech crews from India are really great. Filmmaking trends are improving and changing, new talent is experimenting with content and style,” rejoices Malik.
Tirlok Malik is interviewed by Doordarshan in Goa.
Piracy is one of the major challenges faced by the film industry. Despite all the efforts to keep it under check, it has continued to plague the filmmaking world. Malik feels that piracy is a byproduct of technology. “Piracy will not go away no matter what, for it comes with advantages and disadvantages of technology. That’s why we need to work more on the accessibility of the content. If good content is made available to the audiences at affordable rates and in a timely manner the viewers would themselves be encouraged to abstain from engaging in piracy,” opines Malik. Malik, whose last outing was a short film titled ‘To New India with Love,’ is currently developing two projects. “One is Hollywood film like Lonely in America having a mix of Indian and international cast. The film will be made in the English language and it will be for the worldwide market. It will have actors from India and from USA. The film will have some Bollywood musical songs and American music as well. It’s a romantic musical love drama with a unique story. The other project is to be done In India. It’s a children’s film in English for worldwide market promoting Indian spiritual values,” reveals Malik who is looking forward to welcoming 2023 and wishing everyone health, happiness and prosperity.
A Still from Malik’s On Golden Years. The film celebrated old age.
(Murtaza Ali Khan is an Indian Film & TV Critic / Journalist who has been covering the world of entertainment for over 10 years. He tweets at @MurtazaCritic and can be mailed at: murtaza.jmi@gmail.com).
The participants of YHS FULBRIGHT-HAYS GPA SHORT TERM CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 2022 observed, learned, collected varieties of authentic materials at various locations in India during the 4 weeklong Study Tour from October 29-November 26, 2022.
By Ashok Ojha
In January 2022 I submitted to a proposal to the US Department of Education on behalf of Yuva Hindi Sansthan, a NJ based non-profit educational organization, of which I am the president. The proposal was approved and I was granted the ‘Fulbright-Hays GPA Short-Term /Curricula Development Award 2022’.
Under the program I was mandated to recruit of 12 US based teachers and students and led them on a Study Tour to India. I selected 12 participants on the basis of their academic interests and teaching goals. All participants had expressed their commitment to teaching Hindi in the cultural contexts. I conducted the Study Tour during the months of October and November 2022. The purpose of the tour was to familiarize US based teachers and student teachers with the ground realities at various locations in India, created by global warming and climate change,. The segment of ‘Sustainability’ was added into the area studies theme of ‘Climate Change’. Participants were required to study the impact of ‘Climate Change’, in the cultural contexts of India and be aware of the ‘sustainable’ lifestyle of certain communities. We were also required to collect authentic materials in the native land of the Hindi language, India.
FULBRIGHT-HAYS GPA program participants in Delhi, India.
The Study Tour program was facilitated as planned. All participants boarded the United Airlines flight on October 28, 2022 at Newark International Airport. We arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi on October 29, 2022 where our Indian staff members welcomed us at the airport. The Indian staff included Binod Choubey, who was an experienced production manager employed with Adhikari Brothers in Mumbai. Cameraman Manoj Singh, has previously worked with me in India and was very excited to be part of this project. Rajesh Sah, the third member of the Indian staff, was entrusted with editing video footage that Manoj captured on a daily basis. Thanks to this team, we produced and edited more than two dozen video films during the tour.
YHS Fulbright-Hays participant Anubhooti Kabra speaking at the reception organized by Mumbai Hindi journalists Nov 16, 2022
I have been teaching Hindi in the United States for more than a one and half decade. As a language teacher I know how to integrate the World Readiness Standards in my teaching materials. I believe that ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching Foreign Languages) proficiency guidelines and the best practices endorsed by STARTALK Language Program offer an ideal framework for teaching a foreign language such as Hindi. In order to follow ACTFL proficiency guidelines and world Readiness Standards it is important to use ‘authentic materials’ that are needed to develop learning curricula. These authentic materials can only be acquired in the native land where the language was born. Hence our Study Tour played an important role in acquiring authentic materials. It supported the curricula developed on the basis of those materials by the language teacher participants. The curricula thus produced will be freely disseminated by the US Department of Education. On our part we will make all video films, produced during the Study Tour, available on our website, https://21stcenturyhindi.com/phase-ll.
For four weeks our team travelled to various parts of India that are deeply impacted by the climate change. First we travelled to Nainital, a hill station in the northern state of Uttarakhand. We camped at Hotel Vikram situated close to our academic partner, Kumaun University and downtown Nainital. Ajay Rawat, an environment expert on the ecology of the Himalayas, presented detailed information on land erosion and water pollution in the region. Next morning, we visited an area called Ballia Nala, where we witnessed the devastation caused by land erosion. Here we met with locals who live fearful of further landslide. A road passing through the area was completely cut off due to landslide. We learned that the city’s sewerage system was too old that created hollow spaces in the hills. We met activists who were working to create awareness among people about water pollution and climate.
YHS Fulbright-Hays participants interacting with environmentalist Vandana Shiva in Dehradun, November 8th, 2022
We left Nainital for Jim Corbett Forest area and then to Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state. We rented safari jeeps to travel inside the forest and observed the impact of Climate Change on the wildlife. We continued our journey to Dehradun where we camped at Navdhanya complex, a farmland established by the noted environmentalist Vandana Shiva, who mentored us on the traditional living. We observed people engaged in producing agricultural crops using compost fertilizer. Dr. Shiva lectured and demonstrated benefits of sustainable living that was possible with organic farming and a simple lifestyle. Our participants joined local farmers and villagers to get hands-on experience on sustainable living.
In order to enhance our knowledge and understanding about sustainable living we flew to Mumbai. We travelled by road from Mumbai to Dahanu, a coastal town where the Warli tribal folks live a self-contained life in their hutments. They use local resources to build huts, fishing and creating world famous Warli paintings. We met a few Warli artists and farmers to learn about ‘sustainability’ and depiction of life in their paintings. Our participants took part in art workshops conducted by experienced Warli artists and visited local schools to experience how Warli boys and girls were learning language and art.
Our fourth and the final destination was Alwar district in the state of Rajasthan-the region that has experienced water shortage for decades. Alwar is also home of dozens of wild animals who live in the forest of Sariska. We learned about impact of climate change on the local communities. There was depletion of water levels in local wells and ponds that affected the lives of people and animals. However, the local population has managed to store rainwater by construction small dams. The traditional methodology to rejuvenate wells, ponds and rivers was revived by Tarun Bharat Sangh, a local non-Government organization in the early Eighties. Since then, volunteers of TBS, under the mentorship of Dr. Rajendra Singh, a Magasaysay Award winner social activist, have been working with villagers to preserve water resources by constructing Johads and Pokhars, as the small dams are locally known as. They have preserved water for drinking and irrigating farmland, rejuvenated rivers to raise water levels in the village wells enabling women and girls to engage in more productive activities than just fetching water from miles away. Today the villages of Alwar district have enough water for drinking and irrigating their farmland. They are able to sustain their lives which has been facing impact of climate change.
(Ashok Ojha, a NJ based journalist and teacher, recipient of this year’s ‘Fulbright-Hays’ GPA project, funded by the US Department of Education, teaches Hindi under the banner of Yuva Hindi Sansthan, a non-profit educational outfit https://21stcenturyhindi.com/
Ashok directed dozens of federally funded language programs for teaching Hindi. He has also directed a number of educational films. Before moving to the USA in 1996 he worked as a journalist in India for more than two decades.
HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): World Vegan Vision (WVV) organized Thanksgiving Dinner and Dancewith over 150 people attendingat Antuns’ by Minar here on November 19. The organization dedicated this event to celebrate its 30th anniversary, The first Indian elected representative from the Town of North Hempstead Honorable Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava graced the occasion.
Town of North Hempstead Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava ( 6th from the left) was a center of attraction at the event. To her left is Suman Munjal, President of World Vegan Vision New York Chapter.
World Vegan Vision is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote veganism and healthy
lifestyle. The main mission of World Vegan Vision is to increase the public awareness about the 3 main aspects of Veganism: Health, Animal Welfare, and Environmental Conservation.
The main function started at 7:20 PMwith Vice President Gunjan Rastogi welcoming the audience and inviting the Treasurer Kirti Shukla for singing both American and Indian National Anthem. Suman Munjal, President of World Vegan Vision New York Chapter,in her speech welcomed and thanked all the dignitaries, trustees, sponsors, past presidents, community leaders, executive committee members and the invited guests for coming. She stated that “World Vegan Vision has completed 30 years of its journey and we have been celebrating this milestone throughout this year. Thanks to our Founders HK Shah ji and Malti Shah ji, who have been nurturing this organization with Tan, man and Dhan from day 1. And they have been doing it for a good cause, promoting healthy lifestyle and compassion towards animals”. She further stated that “I personally experienced enormous health benefits of becoming vegan. I controlled my diabetes and cholesterol with a vegan diet. I would like to encourage everyone to join in, become vegan and experience the benefits of veganism”.
Founder and Chairman Mr. H.K. Shah in his speech thanked the people for all their help and support for the last 30 years. Chandra Mehta Vice Chair of WVV and wife of the Trustee Mr. K. K. Mehta thanked everybody for coming and for their continued help and support, especially when she organized the 25th anniversary of Vegetarian Vision/World Vegan Vision. Dr Moiz Kasubhai and Vice President, Mr. Rakesh Bhargava held a detailed and very Informative Question Answer Session on the benefits of plant-based diet, veganlifestyle and welfare of the animals.
Founder and Chairman Mr. H K Shah announced that with the expiry of Suman Munjal’s term as president in December 2022, Mr. Rakesh Bhargava, who has been a vegan for the last 20 years, will be taking over the presidency of WVV starting January 2023.
Fun time. Dancing with Varsha Joshi.
Varsha Joshi, versatile singer from New Jersey along with her troupe of singers and instruments players entertained the crowd with her melodious voice and people danced to their heart’s content for over 2 hours. Dinner was served. Everyone enjoyed the Deliciousvegan dishes served during Appetizers hour and dinner, including vegan yogurt, ice cream and jalebis. Free Raffle was conducted with a lot of good prizes.
Program concluded with a vote of thanks by the Secretary, Tejal Raval.
Town of North Hempstead Clerk Ragini Srivastav is seen here with BSNY officials and guests. (Phot : Vijay Shah-photojournalist)
LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): Brahman Samaj of New York (BSNY), established in 2022, proudly celebrated Diwali-The Festival of Light at The Cotillion, NY on Sunday, November 20th, 2022. Diwali is celebration of new beginnings, change and the triumph of right over wrong, light over darkness. It is the time to come together, look forward to the future and enjoy each other’s company over delicious food, fun, and a warm atmosphere.
Divyesh Tripathi, Founder, President of BSNY along with his committee took this opportunity to present and offer their best wishes for Diwali and new year. Also introduce BSNY Women’s Wing. Advisory Committee member, Rohit Pandya presented his welcome speech for the audience. Program Manager, Chandrakant Shah, EC members and volunteers managed the entire event very smoothly. The program began with Deep Pragatya by EC including BOD, Advisory Committee, Grand and Platinum Sponsors.
Function was graced by Town Clerk respected Ragini Srivastava from Town of North Hempstead and Dilip Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner forTrade, Investment and Innovation for NYC Mayor Eric Adams office for International Affairs. BSNY honored them with a flower bouquet. They appreciated President, Divyesh Tripathi and his EC for their valuable contributions to the community. BSNY expressed gratitude by presenting plaque, Certificate of Recognition & Appreciation to the individuals and organizations who contributed generously for the success of the Samaj.
Renowned singers Kashyap Jani and Anitha Krishnan along with live band mesmerized the gathering, started with Lord Shiv Vandana, slowly followed by ever captivating Bollywood songs, inviting audience to dance and express their happiness.
Founder, President Divyesh Tripathi, BOD-Harshad Patel (Pakaji), Anil Shah, EC-Hiren Vyas, Harish Dave, Sanjay Dave, Vikas Bhalodkar, Chandrakant Shah, Parag Patel, Rekha Trivedi, Virendra Banker, Paresh Raval, Harsh Vyas, Advisory Committee-Rohit Pandya, Dr. Himanshu Pandya, Ragini Srivastav, Dilip Chauhan, Jagat Rawal, Bhadresh Acharya, Mukesh Modi,Women’s Wing-Renuka Shah, Tejal Raval, Ami Tripathi, Poonam Shah-Bhatt, Nikita Pancholi, and Reshma Lalwani were among the more prominent attendees. Nothing of the above would have been possible without the overwhelming support of all organizations, sponsors, donors, participants and volunteers for the grand success of the event. BSNY Thanks to all.
(Press release and photograph by Vijay Shah, photojournalist)
NEW YORK (TIP): 2022 has been an amazing year for The India Center because we were selected by the NYCxDesign Festival to exhibit our Graphic Designs for the first time.
There were also some other firsts like being contacted by several schools both private and public to present Indian Cultural Programs to their students.
A group of five friends who were passionate about Indian Culture got together for dinner one evening in 2003 and The India Center was born.
It has been an interesting journey from hosting Dance and Music events on Cable TV to doing full day events at the Baruch Performing Arts Center which included Yoga, Ayurveda and Vastu. Then switching to Zoom during the pandemic.
It is a time to thank all those who have supported us in the last 20 years and to reflect on the path we need to take in the coming years. Our immense gratitude to all our amazing instructors especially Guru Sanjay Attada and Guru Manjulanandji for their staunch support of our projects over the years. We feel so honored when he says, “Working with India Center is always a pleasure because I get to contribute to bringing Indian culture to the larger community. Not only am I fortunate to be able to speak about my favorite aspects of Indian culture — yoga — but also I am able to collaborate with other speakers. Being able to share perspectives with other people equally passionate about Indian culture helps me enrich my own experience and bring out stories to the community at large. The process of working with India Center has always been smooth and cooperative. Speaking with India Center is always enjoyable because everyone is accommodating and allows the event to come together seamlessly. I am thankful to have spoken at the India Center in the past and hope to do so in the future.”
Special thanks to our amazing performers, especially the little ones, some as young as four years old, whose devotion to traditional Indian Arts despite the lack of resources and support is heartening. We had two little boys perform regularly at our festivals. The children would wake up at 3:00 am on Sundays and were driven by their mother, a doctor with a busy work schedule, all the way from their home near PA to their teacher’s home in Long Island NY for their 6:00 am Carnatic Music lessons. They inspire us to do our best and remind us how Indian Culture has survived despite all odds.
We wish to thank our friends at Manhattan Neighborhood Network who have always gone above and beyond their call of duty to help us out. Without them there would be no India Center.
Thanks to Keshav Das for his help and Eddie Stern for letting us use his Patanjali Yoga Studio to launch the very first Saraswati Arts Festival.
We also wish to thank all our dedicated volunteers who have put in blood sweat and tears to make our events happen. Some of them have worked with us for years – Atul Kapoor, Ashu Kapoor, Anita Ghei, Deepti Vij, Dinesh Pai, Sonali Daripkar, Navin Hadge, Charles Caminiti, Gloria Messer, Patricia Rios, Jasmine Lindo, Nat Wood, Nelson Torres, and scores of others whose names we cannot include because of the paucity of space.
And last but not the least, a very special thank you to the team at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council for believing in us and supporting our projects over the years and to Google for their Adwords Grant. We hope we live up to the expectations of Gurus, performers and supporters in the coming years.
When the India Center was launched in 2003 the goal was to host events that would give children a platform to display their talent in Traditional Indian Arts. Most of the money and resources for the arts has been taken up by Bollywood and there is little space left for Traditional Arts. We felt that our youth who study Traditional Arts which has been passed on from generation to generation through the Guru Shishya Parampara needed our support.
The first hurdle came with the name itself. We were advised by one gentleman to drop the name Saraswati Classical Arts Festival because it would put off donors and instead call it the South Asian Arts Festival to appeal to a wider audience. We politely declined his suggestion and decided we would keep the name with or without donations. The first Saraswati Classical Arts Festival was launched on a princely grant of $740/-
There was no way we could afford to rent an auditorium in New York City with that budget. The only space we managed to get with the help of a friend was a Yoga Studio in Soho. Interestingly, the space had 3 little temples for Ganesh, Shiva, and Krishna. The Saraswati Classical Arts began with the Abhishek of the 400-year-old image of Ganesh – the way Indian Dance was traditionally performed.
We had 26 children perform at the event. The following year we received a larger grant and we decided to launch our second project, the Natraj Folk Arts Festival at the Baruch Performing Arts Center. We had 70 artists performing at the event.
And we continued our live events until 2020. We postponed our festivals hoping that the epidemic would go away, and we could go back to hosting live events. But it did not, so we decided to go virtual. We were of course not happy about going from shooting in a multi-million-dollar television studio to streaming home videos virtually but then we had to learn to adapt. “The only constant in life is change”- Heraclitus
In the middle of the Pandemic, we were contacted by an Indian Dance teacher from Qatar saying his students would like to participate in our festival. The children performed folk dances from various regions of India – Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu… and suddenly the festival went from being an event for Indian Artists in New York to an event for young Indian Artists from halfway around the globe. Out of something bad came something good.
As the India Center turns 20, we will be creating a series of projects that we have never done before. Stay tuned for our announcements in the coming months.(Advertorial)
Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is to football (soccer), as Muhammad Ali is to boxing, Mario Andretti to motor sports, Tom Brady to American Football, Neil Armstrong to space, Patton to WW2, Albert Einstein to physics, Michael Jordan to basketball, Gary Sobers to cricket, Tiger Woods to golf, Usain Bolt to sprinting, Serena Williams to lawn tennis, and other heroes.Or what Thomas Edison is to science, the icon he was named after. These are all worthy icons, who transcend human achievement and life, each in his own domain.
Who is an icon? An “icon” is much more known than a celebrity and is accorded to someone who leaves an indelible mark on media’s history, commanding strong significance, as well as achievement and reverence. They are persons who are unusually well known, and who people look up to, icons who, like Michel Platini, one of the greatest footballers of all time, and a player who would know, said, that “to play like Pele is to play like God.” Or as Pele settled this issue as to who was a greater soccer player, with another worthy contender, Diego Maradona, “But I score with right, left and head. And you not.”
One of the greatest players of all time and accorded “the greatest” by FIFA, Pele was in the highest tier of the successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. He is the only player to win three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognized as a Guinness World Record.
Fittingly, Pele has a street named after him-Rua Edson Arantes do Nascimentoin the city of Três Corações in Minas Gerais state in Brazil, where he was born in 1940. A statue of him is also prominently placed in a plaza near the city’s downtown. “The King of Football” (O Rei do Futebol), “The King Pelé” (O Rei Pelé) or simply “The King” (O Rei) is how he is known by. In 2014, the city of Santos inaugurated the Museu Pelé, or Pelé Museum, a display of 2,400 pieces collection of priceless Pele memorabilia, which cost approximately cost $22 million and was so large it had to be housed in a 19th-century mansion.
Among his contemporaries, Dutch star Johan Cruyff, who played against him, stated, “Pele was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.”Carlos Alberto Torres Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning captain, reiterated, “His great secret was improvisation. Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game,” while a mesmerized Tostão, his strike partner at the 1970 World Cup echoed, “Pelé was the greatest- he was simply flawless. And off the pitch he is always smiling and upbeat. You never see him bad-tempered. He loves being Pele.”
His Brazilian teammate Clodoaldo confirmed the adulation he witnessed,“In some countries they wanted to touch him, in some they wanted to kiss him. In others they even kissed the ground he walked on.” Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany’s 1974 World Cup-winning captain, and a great player in his own right, said, “Pele is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. There’s no one to compare with him.”
Pele’s greatness and uniqueness lay in the fact that he was the world’s first black sports icon and weaved an aura of mystique and bewilderment. After the semifinal against France in 1958, in which a teenage 17-year-oldPele scored a hat trick in a 5-2 Brazil win, the French goalkeeper, reeling from Pele’s glorious skills, lamented, “I would rather play against 10 Germans than one Brazilian (Pele).”
After all, who else but Pele could have stopped a Civil War in Nigeria for two days in 1969, so both fighting sides could watch him play, at an exhibition match? These sagas of immortality, coupled with his humble beginnings from being born in a slum, and reared on dirt fields in Brazil, playing barefoot with a soccer ball made of rags, accredits him Biblical relevanceto the Kingand Savior of the World who was similarly born in humble beginnings, a manger.
Pele’s early footballs were made of stuffing a sock with old newspapers held together with strings. Even grapefruits were used. Pele, the oldest of two children, supplemented his parents inadequate income by working in tea shops, and cleaning shoes at the local train station, until 1956. When his youth coach took him to Santos for a tryout at age 15, his world, and soccer, changed dramatically, so much so, that, at his death, NASA marked “the passing of the legendary Pele, known to many as the king of the “beautiful game.” This image of a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor shows the colors of Brazil.”
His greatness lay to a large extent to his adeptness at dribbling the ball as if it was attached by an invisible string to his boots, explosively striking the ball with either foot, his speed and the uncanny ability to turn, accelerate and decelerate on a dime, in addition to anticipating his opponents’ movements on the field moves ahead, like a chess grandmaster. Little wonder he averaged almost a goal per game throughout his career.
Pele was a unique athlete. Medical tests revealed that his heart used to beat 56 to 58 times a minute, rather than the average 90 to 95 times a minute. His aerobic capacity was such that he could repeat a ‘great effort within 45 to 60 seconds’ and his peripheral vision was 30 per cent greater than an average athlete.
In the early 1970s, medical experts studied Pele’s body structure-the parallel feet, and the strong bones in his heels which helped his speed and acted as shock absorbers after a jump or a kick. For weeks, the New York Times added, they examined him, attached wires to his head for readings and measured his muscles before declaring: “Whatever this man might have decided to do in any physical or mental endeavor, he would have been a genius.”
Brazilian soccer star Neymar said, “Pele changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment.He gave a voice to the poor, to black people and especially. Gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He is gone, but his magic will remain. Pele is ETERNAL!!”
Another great, Cristiano Ronaldo, said, “A mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pele will never be enough to express the pain that currently embraces the entire world of football. An inspiration for so many millions, a reference from yesterday, today, forever. The affection he always showed for me was reciprocal in every moment we shared, even from a distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will last forever in each of us football lovers. Rest in peace, King Pele. His legacy transcends generations. And that’s how he will live on. Today and always, we will celebrate you.”
On 1 June 2022, Pelé published an open letter to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on his Instagram account, in which he made a public plea to stop the “evil” and “unjustified” 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, an act that raises his profile even higher.
Pele sparked the growth of interest and participation in soccer in the United States by playing for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League late in his career and must be credited for the popularity and development of the sport in the USA. His legacy extends to the entire world, who treasure human endeavor and excellence in whatever form.
These stars will fade away into legend and myth, but never die. And someday people will speak of these humans and their accomplishments and be met with skepticism for who would believe that such men and women really existed. RIP, and Thank You for the memories, King Pele. Rest assured that, because you will never be forgotten, your immortality will reign supreme in your field, and you are never really gone.
(Albert Baldeo is the District Leader of Richmond Hill, NY, USA, President of the Richmond Hill Democratic Club, Asian American Labor Alliance, Chairman of the Liberty Justice Center and Baldeo Foundation, a community organization dedicated to the fight for community improvement, justice, equal rights, public safety, dignity and inclusion in the decision-making process. (718) 529-2300)
NEW YORK (TOP): Once again, the de facto authorities of Afghanistan have found new ways to harm the women and girls of Afghanistan. As the world remains outraged by recent decisions to ban women and girls from higher education, the decree issued on the 24th December barring women from working in national and international NGOs is yet another stark violation of women’s rights and humanitarian principles. We strongly condemn this without reservation.
This is relentless misogyny, a virulent attack on women, their contribution, their freedom and their voice. It is yet another repudiation of every norm and standard of women’s human rights and respect for human dignity.
In barring women from contributing to the efforts of aid organizations, the Taliban has in effect suspended aid for half the population of Afghanistan, aid that they depended on and without which they will not survive.
11.6 million women and girls are no longer receiving vital assistance. Women-headed households, which make up almost a quarter of households in Afghanistan, have nowhere left to turn and no livelihood support. Many national and international NGOs are unable to operate without their female staff. All services for women are impacted including their access to water, sanitation, hygiene, protection, food, shelter and livelihoods. The consequences of this are further increasing the vulnerability of women and girls already at risk, as services for survivors of violence or to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse are shut down. Thousands of children and families who depended on the income that women delivering humanitarian assistance brought in, are now even more destitute.
There can be no greater catastrophe in the face of humanitarian crisis than to remove the contribution of half the population in navigating Afghanistan’s daunting challenges.
UN Women stands in full solidarity with the women and girls of Afghanistan. I stress again our complete condemnation of the continued erasure and oppression of Afghanistan’s women and girls from public life and our outrage at this latest act of cruelty.
The de facto authorities must know that their actions are undertaken under the full light and scrutiny of the international community and always will be. UN Women has stayed and delivered in Afghanistan, and we will remain. Together with our partners we will make every effort to ensure that women and girls reclaim their space in contributing to the future of Afghanistan, and that their rights are restored, protected and upheld.
CHICAGO, IL (TIP): A glittering evening replete with stirring melodious carols, dance presentations, inspiring remarks and uplifting yuletide sermonette marked the Grand Christmas Banquet celebrations organized by United Christian Cultural Association [UCCA] on Friday, December 16, 2022 at the Cotillion Banquet in Palatine, Illinois that drew a large gathering of families Illustrating the spirit of Christmas with interludes of beautiful strains of Christmas carols presented by Tollywood’s blockbuster music director Anup Reuben that elevated the festive merriment. This Grand Christmas celebration was strikingly enhanced by the presence of Ambassador Somnath Ghosh, Consul General of India who was joined by a host of community/business leaders representing all major faiths complemented by a large presence of families who converged to celebrate the grand pre-Christmas banquet.
The evening encompassed mesmerizing musical performances presented by Tollywood’s blockbuster music director Anup Reuben and his ensemble who enthralled the guests with uplifting Christmas carols and musical hits. He presented a new genre of music, a fusion of the traditional Christmas songs transposed with upbeat melodies. Anup Reuben energized the entire evening with his zestful music and was later collectively honored and blessed by the clergy.
The evening celebrations set off with the inter-faith lighting of the Christmas Candles led by Ambassador Somnath Ghosh, Consul General of India – who in his remarks – said
Christmas festival manifests joy, peace and fosters fellowship with each other in the spirit of goodwill and love. Ambassador Somnath Ghosh outlined the history and applauded the role of Christians in contributing to help build modern India. Ambassador Somnath Ghosh expressed his profound appreciation to the UCCA leaders for inviting him to the Christmas celebration program and complimented them for hosting such a grand festivity.
Dr. Heyer Devarapalli, Founder Chair of UCCA welcomed the gathering and said UCCA has been in the forefront taking initiatives in hosting medical camps, charitable drives and other humanitarian work to help fellow human beings – which he said represents the spirit of Christmas and Christianity. Dr. Paul Heyer Devarapalli acknowledged and thanked the fellow board and directors for their unstinted cooperation in hosting this grand Christmas banquet and showcasing the community’s strength of unity and its growing significance.
Earlier, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori welcomed the gathering and introduced the chief guest Ambassador Somnath Ghosh, Consul General of India and later joined by UCCA leaders honored the ambassador by presenting a silk shawl and flower bouquet by UCCA’s women leaders.
Raju Enoch Pasumarthi, UCCA President thanked the gathering of the families by unitedly celebrating Christmas and added that UCCA is geared up to announce an exciting series of summer programs for the community. Emmanuel Neela, UCCA Vice President recognized some of the prominent telugu community leaders. While Vasanth Charles proposed a vote of thanks. Satish Dadepogu unveiled UCCA’s plans for hosting a summer cricket tournament in partnership with the Illinois Cricket Association. Pastor Zadda Chakravorthy delivered a Christmas sermonette. Youth presented a Christmas Nativity play directed by Deena Pasumarthi and performed by Tina Devarapallli and Sharon Dadepogu. Ms. Angel Varghese gave a special dance performance.
The Christmas candlelight ceremony was led by Havilah Devarapalli, Margaret Charles, Saritha Pasumarthi, Ujwala Neela and Persis Dadepogu. The event was eloquently emceed by Margaret Charles. Several community leaders were acknowledged at the evening including Ajeet Singh, Madan Pamulpati, Sreenivas Bopanna, Nick Verma, Subbu Iyer, Mahesh Kakarla, Sheshu Reddy, Hemachandra, Ramakrishna Nuna, Naresh, Khurram Syed, Nageshwari Cherikonda, Malati Domaraju, Vijay Ravoori, Rahul Viratapu.
In closing UCCA President Raju Pasumarthi honored, Chicago community’s pastors Rev. Dr. David Vidyasagar, Rajamani Gounu, Mrs. Subhadra Vipparthi, Victor Omega, Mathew Vattiprolu, Zadda Chakravorthy and Madhukar Bushi.
The evening celebrations concluded with the entire hall luminous with candlelights while singing the traditional carol “Silent Night” which was followed by the serving of the festive dinner.
(Photograph by Asian Media USA ; Press release by Staff writer)
CHICAGO, IL (TIP): Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) organized its Annual Board Meeting and Diwali Celebration on November 13th at Big Suchir Restaurant, Downers Grove IL. The meeting was attended by the 100 strong FIA team as well as the advisory board members.
FIA TEAM 2023 will be spearheaded by Incoming President Vinita Gulabani strongly supported by 100+ members (each one a leader) composed of Executive Board Members, Directors & Advisory Board Members. The event was presided by Chairman Sunil Shah and Founding Members Neil Khot, Mukesh Shah, Dhitu Bhagwakar and Current President Hitesh Gandhi.
Richa Chand, General Secretary, outlined the achievements of the FIA in the year 2022 and thanked the team for its efforts. She then asked Founder President and Chairman Sunil Shah to address the gathering. Founder President Sunil Shah took the stage and outlined the successes behind the year 2022, listing the events conducted by the FIA and its team – The Republic Day Celebration, The Partnership with the Chicago Bulls – India Heritage Night, The Holi Celebration, Mother Day Celebration, International Yoga Day and the biggest FIA event to date – Celebration of the 75th India Independence Day with a concert with Javid Ali a prominent singer from Bollywood. He thanked the outgoing team for its hard work in putting together and conducting various India centric and Charitable events during the year. He also took the opportunity to welcome new members to team FIA. Current President Hitesh Gandhi took the stage thanking the founding board, and the team 2022 for all the work put in to make the year a resounding success.
Founding Members Neil Khot, Mukesh Shah, Dhitu Bhagwakar took the stage thanking team 2022 and praising the work of the team in making the year a flashy success.
Former Vice President of FIA Mrs. Rita Shah congratulated President Hitesh Gandhi and his team for the outstanding year and welcomed Vinita Gulabani as the incoming President. She felicitated Executive Vice President Shital Daftari, Director Ganesh Kar, General Secretary Richa Chand, and Treasurer Vaishal Talati for their achievements & dedication.
Sunil Shah Founder President [Chairman] then announced the Team 2023
Founder President: Onkar Sangha, Ditu Bhagwakar, Neil Khot
New advisory board: Deepakkant Vyas, Anil Loomba of HMSI, Suresh Bodiwala of Asian Media Broadcasting, Yogi Bhardwaj, Vinoz Chanamolu, Nag Jaiswal, Jasbir Suga, Syed Hussaini, Manish Gandhi, Brij Sharma (Power Volt), Asha Oroskar (Orochem), , Amarbir Singh Ghoman, Pradeep Shukla (CPA) and Neal Patel (MedStar), Pinky Thakkar, Sanhita Agnihotri, Ajeet Singh, Aishwarya Sharma and Keerthi Reevori, Usha Kumaria, Anuja Gupta
FIA Chicago was founded to bring Cultural awareness to the Chicago land area and has now grown to serve the community by hosting many events for the community and helping the community grow and become one. FIA Chicago plans to take on projects like Job Fair, Entrepreneurship camps and Youth Leadership Development Skill Camps.
(Photograph by Asian Media USA ; Press release by Staff writer)
CHICAGO, IL (TIP): The 16th edition of the Global Healthcare Summit, one of the flagships India events of the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin, will be held in Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh, from January 6 to 8.
The theme of the summit will be “True and Total Health is the Wellbeing of Mind, Body, and Spirit” and it will focus on mental health, infant and maternal mortality as well as various other medical specialty updates, medical jeopardy, and research poster presentations by medical students, AAPI said in a press release. Nearly 400 physicians are expected to attend the event.
The event offers a unique opportunity for Indian American physicians and their counterparts from India to come together, it added. “AAPI has been engaged in harnessing the power of Indian diaspora to bring the most innovative, efficient, cost-effective healthcare solutions to India,” said Dr. Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI.
Other highlights of the summit will be “advocacy to dismantle the stigma of mental illness and suicide prevention,” he added.
“This conference will focus on bringing the highest caliber of internationally acclaimed faculty and will develop a very robust agenda in collaboration with leading experts from India,” Dr. V. Ranga, chair of AAPI’s board of trustees said. “The enhanced focus on conducting skills enhancement workshops, hands on experience with advanced techniques.”
There will also be continuing medical education sessions with U.S. academics that will offer opportunities for Indian “medical staff and healthcare professionals to advance leanings and provide the best possible care for the people of India.”
“The scientific program and workshops of [the summit] is developed by leading experts with contributions from the Scientific Advisory Board and the International Scientific Committee,” said Dr. Prasad Chalasani, chair of AAPI Global Health Summit-USA. “The workshops will be led by world-famous physicians on topics relevant to the needs of the time.”
“AAPI has plans to collaborate with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to initiate a very ambitious program to address mental health and wellness of all the students in the high schools in AP,” said Dr. Ravi Raju, chair of Global Health Summit-India.
Dr. Sampath Shivangi, AAPI Legislative Committee chair said, “We are collaborating with senior leaders from leading healthcare organizations including pharmaceuticals, device and medical equipment manufacturers and major medical teaching institutions, hospitals, and the Ministries of Health, External/Overseas Affairs and regulatory bodies to attend and coordinate with AAPI with an ultimate goal to providing accessible and affordable high-quality healthcare to all people of India.” Dr. Manoj Jain, chair of the Collaboration to Eliminate TB in India initiative, which is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Agency for International Development will lead comprehensive discussions on the project, with tangible goals achieved and the plan for the future.
CME sessions in psychiatry, ophthalmology, pediatrics, gastroenterology, neurology and oncology will be held, said the release. “In our efforts to realize the core mission of AAPI, which is to share the best from leading experts from around the world, to collaborate on clinical challenges, the GHS in Visakhapatnam will have clinical tracks that are of vital to healthcare in India,” said CME Chair Dr. Sreeni Gangasani.
Dr. Lokesh Edara and Dr. Brahma Sharma, who are the co-chairs of International medical education, will conduct a panel discussion featuring prominent international medical education experts, including CEOs of ECFMG, WFMC, and National Medical Council officials.
Dr. B K Kishore, an academic expert, will lead discussions on research methodology and scientific writings.
A CEO forum focusing on equity, ethics and physician burnout issues and a women’s forum focusing empowerment, gender bias and leadership, will be held as part of the summit.
Walkathon on the beach will be held to challenge mental health stigma and promotion of healthy lifestyle changes and stress management of and several other initiatives also will be announced including effective treatment modalities on non-communicable medical diseases, reducing the infant and maternal mortality and HPV vaccination.
A research competition for Indian medical students and post- graduate students.
“With the changing trends and statistics in healthcare, both in India and the U.S., we are refocusing our mission and vision of [the summit], and AAPI would like to make a positive and meaningful impact on the healthcare in India,” Dr. Kolli said. “In our quest to fulfill the mission of AAPI, we are proud to share best practices and experiences from leading experts in the world and develop actionable plans and projects that enable access to affordable and quality healthcare for all people. To help accomplish this mission, please join us at the GHS 2023.”
After successfully holding the Asian Games, Afro Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, India has now set its eyes to host the world’s biggest sporting event, the summer Olympic Games in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat in 2036.
Though India is yet to make a formal bid, its chances of becoming the fourth Asian city to hold the quadrangular sporting event will depend on the pitch it makes at the IOC session in Mumbai in September 2023. It will be for the first time ever that India will be hosting the IOC general session.
“This is the right time to host the Games. If India is making news in every sector from manufacturing to services, then why not in sports. Gujarat has several times expressed interest in hosting the Olympics. They have the infrastructure – from hostels and hotels to airports and sports complexes,” says Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Anurag Thakur, who comes from Himachal Pradesh, says that the Union Government would stand by the new look Indian Olympic Association when it bids for the 2036 Olympic Games. Only early this month, the new look Indian Olympic Association elected its first ever Olympian PT Usha as its President. PT Usha is also a nominated member of Upper House of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and represents the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Though Gujarator Ahmedabad have never held any major sporting event under the banner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it has of late shown great inclination after New Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad to host a world level sporting competition.
Anurag Thakur in his recent media interaction said that “if India can host the G20 Presidency in such a big way, I am sure the government will be able to host the Olympic Games along with the IOA. Since the slots are already booked till 2032, the earliest India can hope to host the Games is 2036. After 2036 onwards, we have hopes and I am sure India will prepare and bid for the Olympic Games.”
Indian government, he said, would prepare a roadmap in consultation with the Indian Olympic Association to be presented during the September 2023 IOC session in Mumbai. Hosting the prestigious IOC session for the first time on Indian soil offers a great opportunity for the country to showcase its potential as a host of major sporting events.
Going by Anurag Thakur, the Gujarat Government has already initiated plans to prepare itself for the mega event.
( Prabhjot Singh is a former editor of Tribune, India)
The Indian Panorama Editor Indrajit Saluja interviews Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York
Consul General of India at New York Mr. Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, a few days after joining the present position on 19th July 2020 in an interview with The Indian Panorama, had spelt out in brief his priorities which included nourishing and strengthening the already strong bonds between India and US, and exploring new areas of cooperation and relationship in diverse fields of economy, trade, technology, and culture etc. Ambassador Jaiswal added that serving the Indian Diaspora remained the primary focused concern of the Consulate. The strengthening of multi-stake holders relationship will be another priority, he said.
The Indian Panorama interviewed him a couple of times, and each time, Mr. Jaiswal was forthcoming on all issues raised ,and questions asked.
Three days to the end of the year 2022, Mr. Jaiswal agreed to sit with the editor of The Indian Panorama to share for the readers of the publication his thoughts. It was a long interview in which Ambassador Jaiswal touched upon all the aforementioned areas.
In the present part of the interview, we bring to readers Ambassador’s perspective on community involvement in promotion of Indian arts, culture and values.
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
TIP: We are just about three days away from the end of 2022. How do you feel? How was 2022 with you as Consul General of India at New York?
Ambassador: Thank you. It is always my pleasure and our pleasure here in the consulate to engage with you, to converse with you and through you to speak to the community. The wider Indian diaspora which is part of a larger family I would say had its limitations in terms of pandemic but because of vaccinations that we were able to carry out in India, vaccination that happened here, we were able to, you know, take care of the pandemic. The highlight of course, for 2022 was that we celebrated 75 years of India’s independence, like in the previous editions of India at 50, India and 60, which was celebrated in New York with great style. 75 years of India’s freedom rang a special bell here because this is America, a democracy. There’s so much of connect between India and the United States in terms of what we share with them, and also strong people to people ties we have with this great country. We had functions at Carnegie Hall. We have the best of Indian musicians, best of Indian art being displayed, and art and music was just a medium. The idea was to bring Indian ethos, Indian values, Indian civilizational wealth and progress as a modern nation to our friends here in America. We also had a huge India Day Parade, which is an annual affair here. But this time, it was a far grander scale because it was 75 years of India’s independence Madison Avenue on 21st of August was packed to capacity. People from all walks of life, friends of India, the diversity of New York people from various quarters – they all participated in celebrating our independence.
In terms of delivering our services to our people, the consular services ran smoothly. We were able to do many things to the satisfaction of our people. We also carried out a lot of activities on trade side, technology side, tourism site, strengthening India- US economic partnership, technology partnership and all that. We were able to reach out to all our students here. We have a large number of students here in the universities. We also had good engaging conversation with our political stakeholders to further strengthen our Indo US friendship and ties specialties that we have. So overall 2022 , as we bid goodbye to the year, we have very nice things to remember, beautiful associations to remember. And I’m sure we will continue with the same positivity and hope in 2023 as well.
TIP: How was the community response in promoting the various plans, schemes and programs that came from government of India?
Ambassador: So, you know, our idea here was to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, involving a community. That was very important. We got very strong response not just here in New York, but in all the 10 states that we cover. We had programs with community members in Albany, Vermont, Maine etc. We celebrated languages of India. Because through the languages we want to celebrate the diversity of India, and when you celebrate diversity of India here in this country, where diversity has a special meaning, I think Indian diversity, Indian colors, they flower even more. So, we had celebrations of Tamil language and literature, Sindhi language and literature, Malayalam language. We will soon be having a program in Kannada. So that is one track on which we seek the support of our community members.
The other thing which is very dear to all of us is, and we want to celebrate as to how New York or this part of the United States or United States in general was linked to Indian freedom struggle. There have been many Indians who played significant role in India’s freedom and they were linked somehow to America. We paid tribute to them all, from the Gadar Party to Lala Lajpat Rai to Dr. B R Ambedkar to Jay Prakash Narayan, and many more. In fact, in April when we celebrated Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, we had the presence of honorable External Affairs Minister of India. He joined us to pay tribute and to pay our special respects and gratitude to Dr. Ambedkar for being the architect of India’s constitution.
TIP: Have you have you been trying to promote various India based faiths also?
Ambassador: We have celebrated Indian diversity in all its forms.We have regular fairs and festivals, cutting across all faiths. You know we had programs on Guru Nanak Dev Ji. We have celebrated Holi , Diwali Christmas Eve. So, we are doing our best to promote Indian diversity in all its forms
TIP: And how do you rate the involvement of the community in promoting culture and Indian value system here?
Ambassador: I’ve seen that the community is pretty strong in terms of maintaining its roots. We have very accomplished singers here. We have very accomplished dancers of classical dances. In fact, with the Sikh community, I can say I was astonished, amazed to see the kind of Gatka performance that young children do here. There are several groups here and in New Jersey which focus on theater. They bring the best of theater. They perform the best of theatre here in the United States. We come from a very rich civilization and cultural history. So, it is natural that you will carry that identity, that cultural richness along with you, wherever, whichever part of the world you go to. But here in United States the kind of cultural richness that the people demonstrate, is very refreshing, is very soothing. In fact, when I travel across I see that people are teaching karate; people are teaching Gurmukhi to children; people are teaching other languages like Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and so on, so forth. So, all that you know, people in one way or the other, have left India but they all want to maintain and nourish their cultural, emotional and familiar roots with the Motherland.
An impressive exhibition of pictures narrating the story of martyrdom of Chhote Sahibzadas impressed visitors
A few pictures at the Exhibition.
NEW YORK (TIP): The Consulate General of India, New York marked Veer Bal Diwas on 26 December 2022 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Day was celebrated to pay homage to the courage and sacrifice of Sahibzade Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Zorawar Singh – the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Guru of Sikhs. An exhibition narrating the story of the sacrifice was showcased at the Consulate. It was on 26 December in 1704 that the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh ji, then aged 7 and 9 years, achieved martyrdom. They were captured and produced before the Nawab of Sirhind who gave them the option to either convert to Islam or face death. The Sahibzades chose to die in honor. This unparalleled sacrifice of young Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Zorawar Singh occupies a place of great pride and honor in Sikh history and remains an everlasting font of inspiration for all Indians. Earlier in the year on 9th January, on the occasion of the Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh ji, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had announced that the nation would henceforth mark Veer Bal Diwas on 26th December each year. Accordingly, the Diwas was celebrated in India and across the world.
Consul General Randhir Kumar Jaiswal addressing the gathering.
Inaugurating the exhibition, Consul General Shri Randhir Jaiswal explained the significance of the day. He underlined the importance of keeping alive historical memories of struggle. Members of the diaspora participated in the exhibition with enthusiasm and deeply appreciated the effort of the Government to celebrate Veer Baal Diwas worldwide.
Several prominent members of the Sikh community addressed the gathering. Participation of children was particularly encouraging.
Prof. Indrajit Singh Saluja speaking on the occasion
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, publisher/ editor of The Indian Panorama lauded the Consul General for his effort in putting up an exhibition of pictures which depicted so well the story of the bravery and martyrdom of the Chhote Sahibzadas Baba Zoravar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh. He appealed to the Consul General to speak with the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations to host an exhibition of the pictures at the United Nations in order to familiarize the diplomats from all across the world with the glorious chapter of the Sikh history.
Sher-e-Punjab editor Baldev Singh Grewal played an audio of a moving poem in Punjabi on the martyrdom of the elder Sahibzadas -Baba Ajit Singh Ji and Baba Jujhaar Singh Ji.
Community representatives with Consul General Randhir Kumar Jaiswal.
A number of community organizations and Gurdwaras expressed interest in displaying the exhibits in their premises in the coming weeks. Earlier, on 23 December 2022, Consul General Shri Randhir Jaiswal gave interview to ITV Gold and Heramb Studio and explained the history and significance of the Day. On 24 December 2022, the Consul General appeared in Punjabi language programme ‘Ji Aayan Nu’ on Radio Zindagi and encouraged members of diaspora to participate in the exhibition in the Consulate.
‘Veer Baal Diwas’ Celebrated at the Indian Embassy in Washington
Reports of the celebration of the maiden Veer Baal Diwas on December 26 have been received from Washington D.C. and New York. The Indian Panorama understands the day has been celebrated at all the missions in the US and at all missions abroad. We will bring our readers the reports as and when we are able to gather the required information. -EDITOR
Sahibzades Baba Ajit Singh Ji, Baba Jujhaar Singh Ji, Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ was observed in the Embassy of India in Washington DC on 26 December 2022 in presence of Indian Diaspora and students.
All attendees paid tributes to the unparalleled sacrifices made by Sahibzade- the beloved sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. A digital exhibition on the lives of Sahibzades, Baba Ajit Singh Ji, Baba Jujhaar Singh Ji, Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji was also mounted on this occasion.
Charge d’Affaires Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan highlighted the various initiatives implemented by the Government of India which have facilitated commemoration of sacred festivals of Sikhism.
Speaking at the event, Charge d’Affaires Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan highlighted the various initiatives implemented by the Government of India which have facilitated commemoration of sacred festivals of Sikhism- including opening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor; celebration of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji across the world; the commemoration of 400th birth anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur ji – with a special commemorative coin and postage stamp being released by the Hon’ble Prime Minister to mark Guru Teg Bahadur’s 400th Prakash Purab; and bringing back three ‘Holy Swarups’ of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Afghanistan with full honor in August last year.
A view of the gathering
The inaugural commemoration of ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ is taking place in India and across the world, as the country celebrates the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav signifying 75 years of India’s independence. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi had announced on the occasion of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on 9th January 2022 that 26th December will be observed as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ every year.
NEW YORK (TIP): A close associate of President Xi Jinping, has been appointed as the new Foreign Minister of China, replacing Wang Yi who had served in the post for 10 years. Chinese president Xi Jinping’s chief protocol officer between 2014 and 2018, Qin Gang has had high-profile postings, including spokesman at the Foreign Ministry and at the Chinese embassy in Britain, besides a 17-month stint as the US envoy.
Wang was promoted to the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in October and will play a bigger role in foreign policy instead of his predecessor Yang Jiechi, who has been dropped. Both Wang and Yang had crossed the retirement age of 68 for all leaders except for Xi.
In a recent article, he had said the US side must abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués on the Taiwan issue. The US must oppose and stop “Taiwan independence”, support the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and China’s peaceful reunification, he had written.
But Qin has also been reflecting Beijing’s desire to mend fences with the US by stating recently that the China-US ties are not a zero-sum game. Xi held his first in-person summit with US President Joe Biden in Bali last November. — TNS
NEW DELHI (TIP): Star cricketer Rishabh Pant had a miraculous escape when his car crashed into a road divider and caught fire after he reportedly dozed off at the wheel on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in the early hours of Friday. The 25-year-old, who was on his way to his hometown Roorkee to surprise his mother, suffered injuries on his head, back and feet, but is in a stable condition following the accident at Manglaur in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district around 5.30 am, the police said. The driver and other staff of a Haryana Roadways bus helped the cricketer get out of the burning Mercedes Benz, said Haridwar SSP Ajai Singh. The car was completely charred and reduced to a mangled heap.
Pant, who was alone in the car, reportedly dozed off and the car hit the divider before bursting into flames, he said. The bus driver, Sushil Kumar, said he saw the car ramming into the divider and ran over to help. Dr Sushil Nagar, who treated Pant at a Roorkee hospital where he was initially taken, said there was no fracture, but a ligament injury in the knee. He was later taken to Max Hospital, Dehradun.
PM Narendra Modi was among those who sent in their best wishes for his speedy recovery. “Distressed by the accident of noted cricketer Rishabh Pant. I pray for his good health and well-being,” he tweeted. The Haryana Government, meanwhile, said it would honor driver Sushil Singh and conductor Paramjit for rescuing the cricketer from his blazing car.
NEW DELHI (TIP): The mortal remains of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother Heeraben, who passed away here early on Friday, December 30, were consigned to flames in Gandhinagar.
Heeraba passed away at UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Ahmedabad in the wee hours on Friday, December 30. She was 99 and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, December 28.
The hospital said in a statement that she breathed her last at 3.30 am during treatment at the institute. The PM’s last meeting with his mother before she was hospitalized was on the eve of the Gujarat polls on December 4 when he went to seek her blessings in Gandhinagar. Paying tributes to his mother, the PM tweeted, “A splendid century long life has come to an end. In my mother, I saw the trinity—of a hermit, an ascetic and a life devoted to ideals.”
Heeraba is survived by five sons—PM Modi and brothers Soma Bhai, Amrutbhai, Prahladbhai and Pankajbhai, and daughter Vasantiben. The PM and his brothers lit the pyre at their mother’s last rites in Gandhinagar. Earlier, the PM reached Ahmedabad from Delhi and went straight to the house of brother Pankaj Modi at Raysan village on Gandhinagar outskirts where the mortal remains of Heeraba were kept. After carrying the mortal remains for some distance, the PM boarded the mortuary van to accompany his mother on her last journey to the cremation ground.
President Droupadi Murmu led the tributes to Heeraba, hailing her simple and compassionate life.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also paid tributes.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother Heeraba’s 100 years of struggle are a symbol of Indian ideals. Shri Modi imbibed the spirit of ‘#Matradevobhav’ (Mother is God) and the values of Heeraba in his life. I pray for the peace of the holy soul (sic),” the President said. A prayer meeting in the memory of Heeraba would be held later at Vadnagar, the family’s native place. Born in Mehsana, she led an active life and often made headlines. She was seen standing in a queue to withdraw cash from an ATM after PM Modi declared demonetization in 2016. She also made news when she accepted the Covid vaccine and was a regular voter. —
Condolences poured in from leaders across the world.
My deepest condolences. May her soul rest in peace. — Fumio Kishida, Japanese PM
May she rest in peace and may you find solace in her memory and the rich heritage she bequeathed to you and many others. — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel PM
There is no greater loss than losing one’s mother. My condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. — Shehbaz Sharif, Pak PM. We have seen how instrumental her role was in every aspect of your life as a mother, motivator and mentor. — Sheikh Hasina, B’desh PM.
NEW YORK (TIP): The year 2022 seemed to have a sting in the tail. It took away the life of Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died on Thursday, December 29. He was 82. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He was Knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.
He visited Washington to help popularize the game in North America. It was the US President who stuck out his hand first. “My name is Ronald Reagan, I’m the president of the United States of America. But you don’t need to introduce yourself because everyone knows who Pelé is,” the host said.
He had been hospitalized for the last month with multiple ailments. His agent Joe Fraga confirmed his death. Widely regarded as one of soccer’s greatest players, Pelé spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team. His grace, athleticism and mesmerizing moves transfixed players and fans. He orchestrated a fast, fluid style that revolutionized the sport — a samba-like flair that personified his country’s elegance on the field.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The year 2022 has been a remarkable and historic year for the India-US relationship, top diplomats and experts from both sides feel and are confident that 2023 would be a momentous year for the ties between the world’s largest and oldest democracies that will determine the future of technology and innovation. During the year, President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice – first on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Tokyo in May and second on the margins of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here in September and held productive discussions on the entire gamut of Indo-US relations and the way forward. “2022 saw further consolidation of the India–US bilateral partnership in the direction and vision set by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden,” India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, told PTI as the year comes to an end.
The intensity of high-level engagements continued in the form of Quad and Bilateral Summits in Tokyo, the 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Washington DC, and visits by senior members of the Cabinet in both directions, he said.
The year also saw tangible outcomes – resolution of some old market access issues, the first-ever maintenance of a US Naval Ship in India, the Quad focus on STEM, signing of an Investment Incentive Agreement, the launch of Technology Innovation Hubs as a collaboration of the respective science agencies, record level of trade and investments, etc, said Sandhu. “Our strategic convergences deepened, new initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) were launched while others such as I2U2 were strengthened,” Sandhu said in response to a question. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu, concurred with Ambassador Sandhu’s take on the bilateral ties, saying that he believes that the India-US relationship is one of the most consequential relationships in the world. This relationship, he asserted, will determine whether Asia remains free and democratic. “It will determine the future of technology and innovation. And increasingly, it will determine whether we will be successful in combating climate change,” he said.
“This has been a remarkable and historic year for our relations,” Lu told PTI in response to a question. “We have successfully worked in both countries to move beyond the acute phase of COVID-19 and supported millions of people around the world with innovative vaccines,” he said.
“We have worked together in the Quad to launch the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness and the Partnership for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. We launched the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment which is working to support entrepreneurship and mentoring of women business leaders,” he said. Observing that the bedrock of this relationship has always been the people-to-people relationship, the senior American diplomat said more than 1 million people travel back and forth each year between the two nations.
“This year we had a record number of Indian students studying in the United States, nearly 200,000. Our bilateral trade this year is on track to exceed last year’s record of USD 157 billion. This has been a very good year indeed,” Lu said. According to Mukesh Aghi, president, and CEO of US-India Strategic and Partnership, 2022 was “a momentous year” for US-India relations, as the two nations celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations. These 75 years symbolized a long journey that had humble beginnings from the Cold War era, long before India’s own economic growth story, he noted. Today, the relationship, which has been dubbed as the most important strategic partner of the 21st century, has moved long beyond symbolic platitudes between the world’s oldest and largest democracy to robust engagements across trade, defense, climate, and technology, Aghi said.
Despite the pandemic, the bilateral trade between India and the US crossed the USD 100 billion mark in 2021, and in 2022, official figures state that the overall US-India bilateral trade in goods and services reached a record USD 157 billion, a drastic increase from the 2020 trade figures, he said.
“The year 2022 has seen deep collaboration between various ministries and not just between the key principals and the Foreign Minister and Secretary of State. On the finance side, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent visit to India and meeting with her counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. On the energy front, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri recently worked with his counterpart, Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm on the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, and of course Minister Piyush Goyal and USTR Katherine Tai are in regular conversations on trade,” Aghi told PTI. Next year is going to take the relationship to a new level.
“As we usher in 2023, I am confident that the bilateral relationship would cement even further to address the challenges of tomorrow, continuing to be a partnership for global good. India’s G-20 Presidency and the commonalities that India’s priorities as President have with the US will also be a significant factor in this,” Sandhu told PTI when asked about the India-US relationship in 2023.
Excited about what lies ahead in 2023, Lu said India has the G20 presidency for the first time, and the United States looks forward to working closely with India at all levels of government in support of this important position.
“This year we plan to move forward on intensive collaboration in the defense and clean energy fields. We have committed ourselves to support Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India efforts through more co-production of cutting-edge defense technologies in India,” Lu told PTI.
“We are also working to provide the technology and financing to support the Prime Minister’s vision of 500 gigawatts of installed non-fossil fuel energy by 2030. We are collaborating in solar, wind, civilian nuclear, green hydrogen, and thermal energy projects. Together we can change the planet,” he said.
“I am bullish about prospects for cooperation in the year ahead,” Lu said.
In the year 2023, Aghi said the Russia-Ukraine conflict will continue to dominate global affairs as both Washington and New Delhi along with their G20 partners work to secure and prevent escalating energy prices and the shortage arising from food grains.
There is also room for synergy not just in tech but space collaboration, as India and the US both have scientific prowess and with increased privatization and a growing list of unicorns in India, space tech startups will be a new engine of economic growth and scientific synergy, he said.
“Most importantly, in 2023, India will be the President for the G20 summit. India’s G20 Presidency propels its role as an emerging leader in the global scenario. The leadership also gives a stronger voice to the challenges faced by the developing world as New Delhi leads the way with its increasingly growing economy,” he said.
“India has already outlined priorities for G20 2023 pertaining to climate action, critical and emerging technologies, resilient supply chains, and vaccines. New Delhi can strive towards building an inclusive ecosystem with holistic mechanisms to address key global issues for the private sector,” Aghi said.
(Source: PTI)
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