The Indian Panorama

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  • Ranju Batra: Securing Diwali Stamp and launching Oscars of Diplomacy

    Ranju Batra: Securing Diwali Stamp and launching Oscars of Diplomacy

    The ideals of Diwali are the ideals of the UN Charter. The Power of One awards, Ranju says, honor diplomats whose work away from the public eye can make a difference between war and peace.

    A historic number of 24 nations, led by Belarus and India as co-organizers, and United States Postal Service, came together in December 2016 at the United Nations to celebrate “Small Stamp for a Big Festival” and to honor Mrs. Ranju Batra for spearheading the seven-year-long campaign to secure the release of the Diwali Forever stamp by USPS.

    Ranju Batra addressing Diwali Stamp – Power of One Awards ceremony 2022

    Ranju felt the honor was for her journey for the Diwali Stamp seen as a metaphor for peace and harnessing its power to promote excellence in diplomacy. In fact, the ideals of Diwali are the ideals of UN Charter. Speaking to The Indian Panorama, she recalled that one diplomat dubbed her singular achievement the ‘power of one’. That inspired her to launch the ‘Diwali Stamp – Power of One’ awards to honor exceptional diplomats.
    Under the aegis of the Diwali Foundation USA that she chairs, these awards are presented every year since 2017 (barring the Covid years) to exceptional world class diplomats at the UN.
    Says Ranju about honoring diplomats, “They work hard every day away from the public eye but the public needs to know that what they do is important as that could be the difference between war and peace.”
    The ‘Diwali Stamp – Power of One’ awards are supported multilaterally. For example, in 2023 the awards were co-organized and co-sponsored by over 70 member states and the European Union. The Permanent Mission of India at the UN has, of course, supports the ceremony every year.

    Ranju Batra with the honorees and others at the Diwali Stamp – Power of One Awards ceremony 2022.

    Since 2017, 25 awards have been given to esteemed ambassadors. The honorees have included Lakshmi Puri, former Executive Director of the UN Women, former UK Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft, former Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN Kaha Imnadze, and former Permanent Representative of Grenada to the UN Keisha McGuire.
    The most high-profile diplomat to be honored to date has been the UN Secretary-General (2007-2016) Ban Ki-moon. He was honored last December along with former Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN Amb. Mirsada Colakovic, former Permanent Representative of South Korea to the UN Amb. Kim Sook and 72nd UN General Assembly President and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.
    In his acceptance speech at the event attended by UN diplomats, envoys, civil society members and policy experts, Ban commended the work and “forward-thinking vision” of the Diwali Foundation USA “for advancing vital light in a world of increasing darkness”. He said the world today “seems fractured like never before” as he cited the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis and regional crisis seen in the Middle East and Ukraine.
    India’s Ambassador to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said that Diwali is a celebration that holds a special place in the hearts of over a billion Indians across the globe. Diwali “is more than just a festival. It is a sentiment that embodies the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair”, she said.
    Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the UN Mohan Pieris said “Deepavali has become truly a secular festival in the world, since its message is not exclusively restricted to any religious creed.”
    Ravi Batra, the eminent Indian-American attorney, and Chair of National Advisory Council South Asian Affairs, and moderator of the award ceremony, said the UN transcends borders and boundaries.
    The Power of One award is given to a former permanent representative or former high-level member of UN secretariat or member state, or soon-to-be former, who has worked selflessly to help form a more perfect, peaceful, and secure world for all. Assuming eminence, these awards have come to be called the ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’.
    The Diwali Foundation, USA’s mission is to support the UN Charter of multilateralism and enhance peace and security around the world by promoting excellence in diplomacy.
    The Diwali Stamp triumph
    Ranju’s campaign for the Diwali Stamp was fervently followed and supported by Indians in America. It was backed by many Congress members and Indian diplomats in the US. She took it up as President of the Association of Indians in America (AIA)-New York during its Silver Anniversary year, 2011-12. The entire Indian community celebrated with her when on October 5, 2016, USPS officially dedicated the stamp at the Indian Consulate in New York. Ranju’s personal sale of over 170,000 stamps for First Day made the “Diwali Stamp” the best seller in USPS’ over 200 years history.
    Looking back, Ranju says, “The Diwali stamp issued by the USPS is equivalent to the US government issuing a passport to Diwali itself and supporting light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance.” Diwali is now part of Americana. Since the Diwali stamp was issued as a Forever stamp, USPS is required to issue it annually.
    Since September 2021, Ranju is an Advisor for Legal and Humanitarian Affairs to the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the UN, having previously served as an Advisor to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine from 2015.
    Since 1990, she has been the Administrator of The Law Firm of Ravi Batra, founded by her husband.

    Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was presented the Power of One Award in 2023 by Ranju Batra, accompanied by Ravi Batra.
  • Lotus webmag to be felicitated at the Indian Panorama gala

    Lotus webmag to be felicitated at the Indian Panorama gala

    Souvenir Editor
    The Indian Panorama’s Gratitude Gala Souvenir has been edited by Parveen Chopra, Founder and Editor of ALotusInTheMud.com

    New York: ALotusInTheMud.com, the premier wellness and spirituality web magazine founded by seasoned journalist Parveen Chopra, is celebrating its first anniversary after it was launched at the Indian Consulate in New York in January 2023.
    Prof Indrajit Saluja will felicitate Lotus and his longtime friend, Mr Chopra at the Gratitude Gala of ‘The Indian Panorama’ on February 25 in Hicksville, Long Island.
    Mr Chopra, who has specialized in the body-mind-spirit genre of journalism, says about the content mix of Lotus, “We tap diverse religious and spiritual traditions, particularly from India, for wisdom as well as draw from the latest scientific research to present helpful articles for people to be fully productive and yet be healthy, happy, and centered.”
    The variety of articles in his web magazine has ranged from ‘I took Finland’s Masterclass of Happiness, so you don’t have to’, and ‘How to heal a broken heart – Valentine’s Day special’ to ‘The new university for your child’s education – Mother’s womb!’
    Among highlights of one year of Lotus, Mr Chopra cites launching a biweekly newsletter ‘The Lotus Bloom’ last June, covering Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in August, organizing a discourse in September on Kashmir Shaivism by Virendra Qazi, a top expert on the subject.
    Explaining the unusual name, Mr Chopra says that ‘Lotus in the mud’ is a key concept in Buddhism and Hinduism, signifying that we may get muddled by problems, but each one of us has the inherent capability to emerge as full bloom lotus in body, mind, and spirit. He claims that he conceived Lotus roused by the Covid desolation to do something helpful for society.
    Lotus web magazine is published by the American Center for Wellness and Spirituality Inc (ACWS), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. ACWS is a social enterprise that also plans to do offline activities. Among its objectives is fostering interfaith and inter-cultural harmony as well as world peace.
    Mr Chopra is an editor-entrepreneur focused on wellness, personal growth, and spirituality. A trained teacher of meditation, he started ‘Life Positive’, India’s first body-mind-spirit print magazine, in 1996 from New Delhi. He has worked for ‘India Today’ and has contributed to magazines like ‘Yoga Journal’. Moving to the US in 2007, he edited ‘The South Asian Times’ for over a decade and ‘One World Under God’ interfaith journal.
    He is growing his team in the US and India, and plans to launch Lotus’s India edition later this year from New Delhi.

    A screenshot of ALotusInTheMud.com website

  • Harry Singh Bolla: Striking Gold with Vision and Strong Work Ethic

    Harry Singh Bolla: Striking Gold with Vision and Strong Work Ethic

    Oil became gold for Harry Singh. Bolla Market founded by him has become the most recognized fuel and convenience store chain in the New York region. He is also giving back to the community through the Bolla Charity Foundation.

    Harry Singh is the Founder and CEO of Bolla Oil Corp, a billion-dollar gas station and convenience store business. His is an exemplary immigrant success story.
    He emigrated to the United States from India in 1983. Six years later, he founded Bolla Oil Corp with a single gas station in Brooklyn, NY. Harry’s entrepreneurial vision, indefatigable work ethic, and passion for excellence fueled Bolla’s impressive growth. Bolla Market is now one of the largest, and most recognized retail fuel and convenience store chains in the region.
    Bolla is consistently recognized by the major gasoline brands for best-in-class facilities, marble restrooms, unparalleled retail standards, and customer service.
    Bolla Market operates under major fuel brands – Exxon, Mobil, Sunoco, Bolla, Gulf, Valero, Shell, and its proprietary, upscale Bolla Market convenience stores.
    Bolla operates co-branded food offerings, including Burger King, Tim Hortons, Pizza Hut, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Red Mango.

    Giving back to the community
    From its inception, Bolla has had a philanthropic mission. Harry, his wife, Kamljit and children Jay and Tarnjit, care deeply about giving back to the communities Bolla serves. Witnessing firsthand the tragic events of 9/11 and assisting first responders by converting a downtown gas station into a 24-hour aid station, Harry and Kamljit developed a steadfast commitment to help first responders and veterans.
    In 2013, the couple founded the Bolla Charity Foundation. It provides funding to numerous charities and holds events to benefit non-profit groups.
    The Foundation was an early contributor to a building on the 7-acre First Responders Memorial Recreational Field in Islandia, NY. It also supports Toys for Tots and the Nassau County Police Department Memorial Run, raising funds for scholarships in honor of fallen officers. In 2022, the Foundation renovated a group home for 6 veterans in Levittown and renovated a 100-year-old Victorian home for 12 veterans in Freeport in 2023.

    Besides, Bolla Charity runs permanent projects to help the needy in India.

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    The veteran pic can come with this

    News 12 Profiles Harry Singh’s Billion-Dollar Empire

    The Singh family created the Bolla Charity Foundation to give back to the community. It donated a house to a disabled veteran on Long Island.

    News 12, the main TV channel on Long Island, ran a program in May 2021 on Harry Singh’s business success. The documentary-style program including an interview with him was broadcast as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Singh came to the US in 1983 with nothing more than a dream of a better life, the narrator started. “Today he runs a billion-dollar gas station business headquartered in Garden City.”
    The program then proceeded to talk about his work ethic that helped him achieve his American Dream. Bolla Market has become a popular pit stop for many motorists, their customers testify. One woman said, “The food is very good here– they have everything from breakfast, and lunch to dinner.”
    Harry Singh says humbly in the documentary, “I am a worker, I love what I do. I have a passion for it.” The narrator goes on to add that his passion is rooted in the cultural values of his native place in Punjab. And that at age 21, he traded his small village for the Big Apple. It was to make life better, says Harry Singh. His wife, Kamljit, a nurse, shared his vision.
    Singh took the opportunities that came his way, and in 1989 opened his first gas station. He shares his simple philosophy thus, “You get up in the morning, you say thank God, it is another great day in our life. Let us go and make a difference and let us make today better than yesterday.”
    Singh did feel discriminated against at times for his looks, and for who he was. “But I never let it take me down,” he tells the News 12 reporter resolutely. Today Bolla Oil employs 1,800 people at over 250 sites, including gas stations, convenience stores, and fuel distribution centers.
    “Work hard and you get rewarded,” Singh says. The narrator adds that Singh and his wife are now reaping the reward of their 33 years of hard work – a magnificent mansion in Old Westbury and a collection of exquisite cars.
    While the Singhs enjoy the fruits of their labor, they believe there is more to life than material things. That is why they found a way to give their wealth a richer meaning. Elaborates Singh, “I believe God gave me a blessing to give, not take.”
    The Singh family created the Bolla Charity Foundation to benefit people in need. It donated a $600,000 house in 2018 to a disabled veteran named Lance Cpl. Billy Ventura,  in Selden, NY. “We should share. We can all make this world a better place to live.” Singh still works seven days a week with passion and gratitude, says the narrator. “It has been an amazing ride,” Singh concludes.

  • Blitz India: Pioneering development news

    Blitz India: Pioneering development news

    Blitz India is the world’s first chronicler of development news. Launched in 2022 by veteran media person Mr Deepak Dwivedi, the news weekly gives sustained coverage to the ideas, policies, programs and activities that deal with the improvement of people’s lives. It provides a fair, accurate, and contextualized picture of today’s India and the world, without hyping the negatives.
    Under Mr Dwivedi, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Blitz India offers constructive suggestions on what best can be done to ensure that no one is left behind in the development process, as professed in the transformative motto of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations in the form of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all UN Member States. Blitz India provides an effective platform to channel all efforts in India towards SDGs’ implementation through its social foundation.
    The English edition of Blitz India was launched in February 2022 in New Delhi by Mr Amitabh Kant, the then-CEO of Niti Aayog. In September 2022, Blitz India saw the Mumbai launch. Its Hindi edition was started the same year. The launch of the online UK edition of Blitz India in London in June 2023 attracted the who’s who of Britain and India. The speakers included Gopichand Hinduja, Chairperson, Hinduja Group, and Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India. Lord Swaraj Paul sent a congratulatory video message.
    Blitz India has become a must-read for policymakers, thinkers, and the intelligentsia. Its development journalism has been welcomed by the readers, inspiring editions from all major cities in India and international editions.
    The India of the 21st century has given rise to a new kind of politics and a new governance agenda, to shape a new nation. Blitz India acts as a catalyst in this transformational process and lends momentum to it. The weekly directs its efforts towards ‘building a new nation’, as proclaimed in its tagline.
    Mr Dwivedi started his three-decade-long journalism career with Blitz, a weekly tabloid with focus on investigative journalism, where he worked closely with the founder Mr R.K. Karanjia.
    Mr Sandeepp Saxena is Group CEO Blitz India Media. He has media industry experience of over two decades, including a stint at the Indian Express Group, and part of the launch team of Financial Express, Chandigarh Edition.
    Sandeepp Saxena is also

    • President RCGP 23-24 | Rotary International Distt 3011 India

    • Global Convenor SDG Choupal, a flagship initiative of the Nagrik Foundation (Philanthropy arm of Blitz India Media)

    • Country Director, Eye Foundation of America

    • Founder Blitz Edu Initiatives

  • Dr V.K. Raju: On a mission to eliminate childhood blindness from the world

    Dr V.K. Raju: On a mission to eliminate childhood blindness from the world

    Founded by eye surgeon and humanitarian Dr V.K. Raju, the Eye Foundation of America has spread its work to 30 developing countries, training medical personnel to serve the needy, and spreading education on preventive eye care. 

    World-renowned eye surgeon with a specialization in corneal transplant surgery, and humanitarian Dr Vadrevu K. Raju is diligently and passionately pursuing his mission to rid the world of childhood blindness. His Eye Foundation of America (EFA) has set up eye camps in 30 developing countries, training medical personnel to serve the needy, and spreading education on preventive eye care and healthy lifestyle choices.
    For the past four decades, Dr. Raju and his foundation have been working to eliminate avoidable blindness in areas plagued by poverty and poor access to medical care. This is done under the guiding principles of service, teaching, and research. It is accomplished through eye camps and brick-and-mortar hospitals in developing countries, training of medical personnel to serve the needy.
    EFA’s reach extends to 30+ developing countries and the USA. The Foundation has served 4 million patients and performed 350,000+ vision-saving surgeries, with over 25,000 surgeries performed on children.
    Since its inception in 1979, the EFA has facilitated 600+ physician exchanges and trained 200+ ophthalmologists, equipping these medical practitioners with the tools to join the global fight against blindness.
    Dr Raju has helped to build two hospitals in rural India: the Srikiran Eye Institute and the Goutami Eye Institute. Goutami has a wing dedicated exclusively to children.
    The EFA has plans to build a service and research eye hospital in India where no child will be denied treatment and children from around the world can come to receive services.

    Dr Raju was presented Excellence in Medicine award by GOPIO (Global Organization of People of Indian Origin), Virginia chapter in 2021.

    But Dr Raju’s impact goes beyond mere numbers. He understands that true empowerment lies in education. EFA’s programs equip patients with knowledge about eye health and hygiene, enabling them to make informed choices and prevent future complications. This ripple effect extends beyond the individual, as patients become agents of change, sharing their knowledge within their communities.
    Dr Raju has also focused on preventing a lifetime of blindness in premature babies. When a baby is prematurely born, its body is not fully developed, the eyes included. ROP or retinopathy of prematurity happens when there is an abnormal development of retinal blood vessels on the retina.  ROP has to be treated during the window of 3 weeks to 3 months.

    Dr V.K. Raju doing eye screenings at a school in Delhi.

    Dr. Raju was born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh in India. He earned his medical degree from Andhra University and completed an ophthalmology residency and fellowship at the Royal Eye Group of Hospitals in London. He is board-certified in ophthalmology and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) and the American College of Surgeons. and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).
    He has resided in Morgantown, West Virginia since 1976, where he is currently a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at West Virginia University.

    In West Virginia, Dr. Raju accepts patients who do not have medical insurance and performs surgical procedures that are not covered, often pro bono. This allows many of these patients to remain functional members of society.

    Dr Raju has received many honors and awards, including 26 distinguished awards and 17 gold medals. In his adopted home state of West Virginia, he was awarded the Lions Club International (Morgantown) Jarrett Award. Morgantown Rotary honored him for community service in 2000. The award he is most proud of is the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award from West Virginia University.

    Dr V.K. Raju delivered a lecture at Apollo Hospital in Delhi.

    The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has awarded Dr. Raju four times for his teaching and research contributions, including the Outstanding Humanitarian Award in 2002 for $1 million of his own money that went into building hospitals in India, teaching, and providing services to needy patients.
    The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) awarded Dr. Raju with their prestigious Distinguished Community Service Award in 2007. President Barack Obama conferred on him the 2016 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

    The University of Toledo in Ohio inducted him into the Global Medical Missions Hall of Fame in 20017.

    Dr. Raju has authored hundreds of papers and publications and is the co-author of Musings on Medicine, Myth, and History: India’s Legacy, along with his daughter, Leela V. Raju
    Dr. Leela Raju, his daughter and fellow ophthalmologist, is the EFA’s Secretary and Coordinator for Education and actively participates in its mission.

    Dr Raju and Mrs Rani Raju with their daughter Dr Leela Naidu, son Ashok Raju and his family.

  • With Today’s Technology, Eliminating Childhood Blindness is not too Ambitious: Dr V.K. Raju

    By Indrajit Singh Saluja 
    The Indian Panorama is conferring Life Achievement Honor on the world-renowned eye surgeon and humanitarian Dr V.K. Raju. In the run-up to the Gratitude Gala of  the weekly paper, he gave an exclusive interview to Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, its Chief Editor and Publisher. Excerpts:

    Indrajit Saluja, Chief Editor, The Indian Panorama: Rotary International secured a world without polio. Now you and your Eye Foundation of America are working to eliminate needless childhood blindness in the world. But isn’t it an ambitious mission?

    Dr V.K. Raju:  With today’s technology and resources, it is not ambitious. Let me tell you why I have chosen to focus on childhood blindness. Let’s say a 67-year-old becomes blind. He or she has only a few years to live. But if a child becomes blind, he lives for seven decades without vision. We can catch them early and treat them and make them productive members of society for decades.

    As per the World Bank, 80% of our learning is through vision. Nelson Mandela said education is the greatest equalizer. But for want of a pair of glasses, which costs Rs 200-300 in India, the kids’ learning is affected and they become a burden to themselves, the family, and society as a whole.

    Malnutrition is said to be one of the causes of childhood blindness in developing countries.  

    Dr Raju: On this front, India has done incredibly well in the last 30-40  years. But still, overall nutrition is not good among rural people of low socio-economic strata, especially children. So, if you want to see a world without childhood blindness, first you have to tell the governments in the world to provide proper nutrition to children.

    What inspired you to start the Eye Foundation of America?

    Dr Raju: I was working in London and went to India for a holiday. A farmer came to show me his eyes. I did not have any equipment then. So, in 1977, I held my first eye camp in Vijayawada. After seeing so many children born with congenital cataracts, next year I took along a surgical instrument (Ocutome), but faced problems with the customs. On advice of friends, we started Eye Foundation of America for credibility.

    India gave me a stellar medical education almost for free and paying back like this is no big deal. We are fortunate to do this work.

    Each award and honor, Dr Raju says, means more opportunity to do even more work and serve people.

    Being a Rotarian, do you think you can bring Rotary International to support your mission?

    Dr Raju: They already are great supporters of my foundation and our hospitals in Andhra Pradesh. More and more people and Rotary clubs would join in South India and in Vijayawada where I work year after year. Leadership and cooperation are the road to success, as President Jimmy Carter said in his book ‘Global Health’ and whom I have fortunately met.

    Tell us about your Goutami eye hospital.

    Dr Raju:  Goutami is in Rajahmundry district in Andhra Pradesh. It is the flagship of the Eye Foundation of America with about 14 peripheral centers. Outreach is very important in India, where 65% of people still live in villages.  Goutami has a wing exclusively for children. At Goutami, we never turn down a patient. Our model is, we see 60% of the patients  almost for free or subsidized and 40% are paying patients. 

    Besides India, which other countries have you gone in?

    Dr Raju: We have worked in 30 countries, most recently in Guatemala. In some places we supply educational material, in some, we do clinical work, in still others we support their programs as in Ghana. This year-end we are going to South Africa.

    Guatemala is the 30th country to which Dr Raju has spread his work. His visits there were facilitated by India’s Consul General to the country, Manoj Kumar Mohapatra (extreme right in group photo) and Prof Indrajit Saluja.

    What led you to Guatemala?

    Dr Raju: Prof Saluja, you are the one who made that project happen through the Indian Consul General there, Amb. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra. You were there when we screened the patients in Guatemala City. We went back with another colleague of mine last November and performed eye surgeries. Amb. Mohapatra was very helpful.

    I saw you examine 500 people at five locations in Guatemala. How many screenings and surgeries EFA has done so far?

    Dr Raju: Almost 4 million people have been screened as outpatients in the peripheral hospitals and clinics and at least 350,000 operations have been done already.

    For this colossal work, how are you able to manage funds?

    Dr Raju: For the first 16 years, our Foundation did not have a fundraiser. Now we do. Last year we raised $800,000. Here I must tell the story of Srinu Maddula. I brought him here from Vijayawada for a corneal transplant about 35 years ago when he was a toddler. He went on to finish his doctorate in pharmacy from Rutgers. Now he feels that what the eye foundation did for him, he should do more for it.

    For community service projects, help comes unexpectedly. You introduced me to Blitz India editor Deepak Dwivedi and Sandeepp Saxena and they introduced me to Lord Swaraj Paul and Lord Loomba in England. I was honored at the House of Lords, and we set up a chapter of our foundation there. 

    What are the main causes of blindness?

    Dr Raju: The most common visual problem is cataract, which is clouding of the lens of the eye. Cataract is not a disease. It can develop with age. Left untreated, cataract leads to blindness. Today very easy and successful surgeries are available to remove cataracts. You don’t need to stay in the hospital, you go home the same day.

    The other eye problem is glaucoma. It is caused by high eye pressure damaging the nerve connecting the eye to the brain. So, one should get checked for glaucoma every two years after the age of 40.

    With diabetes, if you get regular eye exams, you won’t lose sight.

    What is your advice to my readers about keeping eyes in good condition?

    Dr Raju: If your general health is good, your eye health will be good too. So, eat right, exercise, and do everything in moderation. Protect the eyes with sunglasses when you spend a lot of time outdoors. Cataract development, if at all, will be slow then.

     Is your daughter Dr. Leela Raju, your natural successor?

    Dr Raju: Absolutely. She is very much part of the foundation work and capable of running the show once I’m gone.

    Dr Leela Raju, also an ophthalmologist, accepted the award last year from AIA (Association of Indians in America), NY chapter, on behalf of her father. She is fully invested in his work.

    You have been conferred so many awards and honors, now another one by The Indian Panorama, how do you feel?

    Dr Raju:  Each honor means more opportunity to continue and do even more work and serve people. Yet, as we say in the Indian ethos, I am only nimitta matra (a medium) for whatever good I am able to do.

    Dr Raju learnt from President Jimmy Carter that leadership and cooperation are the road to success. He has also interacted with US Senator Joe Manchin from his state, West Virginia.

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  • Amb. Ruchira Kamboj: Stellar Diplomatic Career with Many Firsts

    Amb. Ruchira Kamboj: Stellar Diplomatic Career with Many Firsts

    Ruchira Kamboj is the Permanent Representative of India / Ambassador of India to the United Nations in New York. On presentation of her credentials to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on 2 August 2022, she became the first lady diplomat from India to assume this position.
    In her over three-decade long diplomatic career, she has served in many key positions.
    Ruchira Kamboj joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987. She was the All India woman topper of the 1987 Civil Services batch as well as topper of the 1987 Foreign Service batch.
    She began her diplomatic journey in Paris, France where she was posted as the Third Secretary (later Second Secretary) in the Indian Embassy to France from 1989-1991.

    On presentation of her credentials to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in August 2022, Ruchira Kamboj became the first lady diplomat from India to assume the position of Permanent Representative of India / Ambassador of India to the United Nations.

    From Paris, she returned to Delhi where she worked as Under Secretary in the Europe West Division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs from 1991–96. In this capacity, she also represented India at the 14th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1995 at Auckland, New Zealand.
    From 1999-2002, she served as Deputy Secretary and later Director in charge of Foreign Service Personnel and Cadre in the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi.
    Ruchira Kamboj was posted as Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2002-2005, where she dealt with a wide range of political issues, including UN Peacekeeping, UNSC Reform, the Middle East crisis, etc. Upon release of Secretary-General Kofi Anan’s Blue Ribbon Panel Report in December 2014, she was part of the G-4 team that worked on the reform and expansion of the UNSC.
    From 2006-2009, she was India’s Consul General in Cape Town, South Africa. The position involved close liaison with the Parliament of South Africa. In this period, she also steered the visits of the President of India to Cape Town in 2008.
    Ruchira Kamboj was picked to be the Deputy Head of the Office of the Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London. She was among the two Staff Officers of the Commonwealth Secretary-General in a multilateral setting, overseeing a wide range of political and economic issues, attending as well in this period the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2009 at Trinidad and Tobago.
    Chief of Protocol, India
    From 2011-2014, she was India’s Chief of Protocol, the first and only woman in Government to have held this position. In this capacity, she directed all outgoing visits of the President of India, the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India, and the External Affairs Minister of India. She also dealt with all incoming Heads of Government and State in India.
    As Chief of Protocol, she was involved in the organization of international Summits in India inclusive of the 4th BRICS Summit in New Delhi in 2012 and the 11th Council of Ministers Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association at Bangalore, India in 2011. She also successfully steered the ASEAN India Commemorative Summit in December 2012 marked by the presence of 10 Heads of State and Government in New Delhi. In 2013, she directed the 11th Asia Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held at Gurgaon, Haryana which was attended by 52 Foreign Ministers from Asia and Europe with over 1500 participants.
    PM Modi’s Swearing-in Ceremony
    In her third tryst with multilateralism, she was posted as India’s Ambassador to UNESCO Paris in April 2014. However, she was called back to direct the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was marked by the presence of Heads of State and Government from the SAARC countries and Mauritius. She resumed her duties in Paris on completion of this special assignment.
    Ruchira Kamboj had a stellar three-year stint at UNESCO. In 2016, history was made when three Indian sites were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list including Nalanda Mahavihara. The same year, she steered India to victory when Yoga was declared as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
    In April 2016, she organized an International Conference on the Zero at UNESCO showcasing the great and glorious tradition of India in Mathematics and Science. A bust of ancient Indian mathematician Aryabhata was gifted to UNESCO.
    In 2015, she was called back to assist in the organization of the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi, which was marked by the presence of Heads of State and Government of the 54-member African Union.
    High Commissioner to South Africa
    Ruchira Kamboj was the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to the Kingdom of Lesotho from 2017 to 2019. This stint was marked by the first-ever India-South Africa Business Summit held in Johannesburg in 2018. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj participated in a unique commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg ‘incident’ (involving Mahatma Gandhi), celebrating people-to-people ties between India and South Africa. The visit of PM Modi to Johannesburg in July 2018 for BRICS10 was a reaffirmation of the salience of the India-South Africa relationship and BRICs.
    Ruchira Kamboj was appointed as Ambassador to Bhutan in 2019.
    During her tenure, many important initiatives were successfully undertaken in both traditional and newly identified areas of cooperation. Seven new trade routes were opened with Bhutan, including Allhay, which facilitated the movement of essential and non-essential goods during the Covid pandemic. In the IT Sector, the India – Bhutan E-Library project was completed; the connection between the National Knowledge Network of India and its counterpart, Druk-Ren was facilitated and arrangements were firmed up for a Third International Internet Gateway for Bhutan. The India – Bhutan Satellite project was due for a launch in 2022. In appreciation of the positive and contributory role played by India during Covid pandemic to strengthen India – Bhutan relations, His Majesty The King of Bhutan conferred Bhutan’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo, upon PM Modi in 2021.
    Publications and Family
    Ruchira Kamboj has written several OpEds in newspapers and magazines.  She has also been called upon to speak at prestigious events in India and abroad on a wide range of issues.
    Ruchira Kamboj, a native of Lucknow, is married to businessman Diwakar Kamboj and has one daughter. Her late father was an Officer in the Indian Army and her mother is a writer-professor (Retd.) of Sanskrit from the University of Delhi. She speaks three languages, Hindi, English and French.
    She was recently featured in the “Top 100 Women Achievers of India” in India  Today ‘She’ List of 1st January 2024.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj received the Guinness World Record for most nationalities in one yoga session organized at the UN Headquarters in New York in 2023. During her stint at Unesco, she steered India to victory when Yoga was declared the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.

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  • US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma meets Indian officials to advance global strategic partnership

    US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma meets Indian officials to advance global strategic partnership

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma has met with senior Indian ministers and officials in New Delhi to advance the US-India global strategic partnership and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region, according to his spokesperson.

    Verma, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, is the highest-ranking Indian American in the State Department. The former US Ambassador to India was on an official visit to India from February 19 to 21.

    He met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane, and Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri in New Delhi, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said here on Thursday.

    Verma’s meetings explored opportunities to strengthen US-India cooperation and people-to-people ties to ensure a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, Miller said.

    He also met with Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to discuss further expanding trade and economic ties between the US and India. “The Deputy Secretary and Indian officials further emphasized the benefits of close partnership on addressing global issues,” Miller said.

    Verma is on a six-day official visit to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives till Friday to strengthen bilateral ties with the nations, reaffirming America’s enduring commitment to a free, open, secure, and prosperous region.

  • Indian Embassy and consulate officials interact with Indian students from across US

    Indian Embassy and consulate officials interact with Indian students from across US

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Officials of the Indian Embassy here and its consulates held a virtual interaction with Indian students from across the US, discussing various aspects of student well-being and ways to stay connected with the larger diaspora. About 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 US universities participated in the interaction led by Charge d’Affaires, Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan.

    It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. The meeting gains significance in the backdrop of some deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students at universities across the US. During the meeting, Ranganathan highlighted ways to stay connected with the Embassy/Consulates and the larger Indian diaspora.

    Students were urged to spread the word amongst fellow Indian students in the US about the guidelines issued by the Embassy and the consulates for students studying in the US, including registration on its websites, general aspects related to student safety and well-being, and emergency contact details of the Indian diplomatic missions.

    The students presented useful suggestions on synergizing the efforts of the Embassy/consulates, university authorities, diaspora organizations and other stakeholders.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Leading Indian drone manufacturer enters US market

    Leading Indian drone manufacturer enters US market

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): India’s drone industry has “leapfrogged” in the last 10 years, gaining pace after the COVID-19 pandemic, the CEO of a leading Indian drone manufacturer has said as his company has showcased its products in the highly competitive US market. Indian drone manufacturing company IdeaForge, ranked fifth globally in the dual-use category of civil and defense, is entering the American drone market at a time when there is a reluctance to buy or acquire those made in China.
    Ankit Mehta, the CEO of IdeaForge, told PTI Videos in an interview that the Indian drone industry has “leapfrogged in the last 10 years with an enabling environment from the Indian government.” He said the sector gained pace after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “I think before the pandemic, the rules and regulations around drones were fairly stringent, and they did not allow a lot of flexibility in terms of use and deployment,” Mehta said.

    “But since the pandemic, the floodgates, in a way, have opened the adoption of technology, which has become wholehearted. Now people want to deploy drones for as many use cases as possible,” he said.

    Drones had very restrictive regulations earlier, he said. “Now those regulations have become a little bit more relaxed in terms of allowing the use of drones under a regulated environment, which is conducive for operations.”

    “Therefore, we are seeing a lot of intent in terms of adopting the technology, and we are seeing a lot of regulatory support for doing that,” Mehta said.

    “We also have in India a production-linked incentive scheme for drones. We have the fact that there is a ban on import of technology from outside so that Indian companies can develop the technology and be overall in an environment where we can demonstrate the capability of what Indian companies can do in this space,” he said.

    Asserting the distinctiveness of Indian drones, he said, “I think Indian drones are very unique in the sense that they’ve been built in some of the harshest environments and the highest altitude requirements in the world.”

    “With the operations being conducted in India at 6,000 meters plus altitude due to the various regions we have in our country in the Himalayas, to operate in extremely low temperatures like minus 30 degrees Celsius and also looking at drones that can operate in deserts in Rajasthan,” he said.

    “So, we are essentially a country that has a very large number of terrain conditions and weather conditions we have to cater to when we are looking at drones. We also have a lot of use cases and applications that exist simultaneously in one place,” he said.

    Giving examples of applications around traffic management, crowd management, counterinsurgency, counter-terrorism, and border management Mehta said, “All of these challenges are quite acute, and there are a lot of challenges around not having proper land records, and many such applications are being developed in India, and they’re being used and deployed at scale.”

    Mehta is travelling to various cities in the US for product demonstrations to export different kinds of drones to the country. One of which was held in the Washington DC National Capital region here on Thursday.

    “We are seeing a lot of excitement about what we have on offer. The autonomy we offer again is very, very interesting and exciting for people, and we are currently engaging in getting as many demonstrations as we can and getting more real-world experience in the hands of the users over here. So that can localize our products better as well as give a flavor of our technology to everybody here,” Mehta told PTI.

    “For example, one of our products, Netra V 4 Pro, is a one-of-a-kind product that, in less than six kilograms, offers more than 90 minutes of flying time in the real world along with payloads. That is something that is not very common,” he said.

    “It is almost three times more than what is usually available in the market. In that sense, there is a lot of delight in when they actually see a product perform in that kind of condition, in that kind of real-world performance,” he added.

    Following one of the product demonstrations here, along with his team, Mehta said the idea is to showcase their technology over here and to look at what kind of uses the technology can put over here.

    IdeaForge, set up in 2007 by a group of Mumbai IITians , can bring the experience they are gaining in India, he said. “We have had our customers use our drones in over 420,000 missions within IdeaForge drones, flying almost every five minutes in India,” he said.

    “It’s really a rich experience that we can bring to the table here, and we see a lot of commonalities with respect to very low temperatures, very high temperatures, and some high-altitude areas over here as well,” Mehta said.

    “What we are building here to deploy at scale in India could be very, very useful in these environments as well,” he added. When asked about India purchasing armed drones from General Atomics for its armed forces at the cost of nearly USD 4 billion, Mehta said it would need sustained long-term investment from relevant sectors, including the Indian Government, to reach that level of manufacturing such drones.

    “Manpower is definitely not a debate because India does have some of the best talent. In fact, a lot of our best talent is here building a lot of these technologies,” Mehta said. Observing that the government has done a great job building the proper regulations for the drone ecosystem, Mehta said there is now a need to sustain these investments in areas like the production-linked incentive scheme.

    “We need to enhance it, and we need to give more encouragement. It is a one-of-a-kind scheme that does a lot of support to design incentives for drone companies because, in a way, it gives a lot of R and D (research and development) capital back to every company that is doing more value addition in the country,” he said.

    “A lot of upfront R and D capital needs to be allocated for this technology space, and that’s an area where some effort and support will be required for the drone ecosystem because a lot of times, incentives like the production-linked incentive are great to boost scale and to do more for players who are already achieved a certain scale,” he said.

    However, Mehta said that a lot of R and D capital for designing many subsystems in the country would be very useful for the overall benefit and development of the ecosystem.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Inspired by the Sikh notion of oneness, says Indian American running for Congress

    Inspired by the Sikh notion of oneness, says Indian American running for Congress

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Krystle Kaul, a noted Indian American defense and national security expert, says her running for the US Congress is inspired by the Sikh tradition of oneness and a strong sense of giving back to the community. “I am half Kashmiri Pandit and half Punjabi Sikh. I am very proud of both of my cultural backgrounds. Growing up in America, being bicultural is something unique and something that I have embraced. My grandparents and my parents have embedded that in me. I am proud to stand today as the first ever Kashmiri Pandit to stand for Congress and also as the only Sikh woman to currently run for Congress in the country,” Krystle told PTI in a recent interview.

    Kaul, who speaks nine languages – English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Dari and Kashmiri — is running from the 10th Congressional District of Virginia. The incumbent Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election, therefore making it an open seat.

    “My Nani (grandmother) Vimal Chaddha Malik used to take me to Glen Cove Gurdwara in Long Island, New York. There I would serve langar. I learned a lot about Sikh traditions and the notion of oneness. I’m proud of that. That’s something that has given me a very strong sense of community and giving back and is one of the core values that I embrace in my bid for Congress,” she said.

    “At the core of the tenets of Sikhism is this idea of feeding your community, of service, of making sure that everyone has what they need and that is reflective. If you go to Amritsar, for example, to the Golden Temple, you see that everyone gets fed at the Golden Temple. The halwa there is also the best in the world, I think,” she said.

    “It’s just a really beautiful concept to see in the community there on a micro level and one that can be scaled internationally and that can be embraced here in Virginia District 10. So again, I’m very proud of both sides of my heritage being Hindu and Sikh, and very proud of the fact that I stand again as the only Sikh woman running for Congress in the country today because we need representation and that’s important,” Kaul said.

    Notably, Dalip Singh Saund was the first Indian American, a Sikh, to be elected to the US House of Representatives from the 29th Congressional District of California for three terms beginning in 1957.

    In the current Congress, there are five Indian Americans in the House of Representatives: Dr Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar. Jayapal is the first ever and only Indian American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives.

    Dalip Singh Saund is often a name that gets forgotten, Krystle said.

    “Today we focus heavily on the five Indian American members who were in Congress, but preceding all of them was this one Sikh man who came in as an outlier and was able to get the mass community support in his district at a time when we were such a new immigrant community in this country. That’s something that I’m proud of and one that I think is very notable,” she said.

    Despite doing well in various fields in the US, the Sikh community is not seen much in politics, she noted. “The Sikh community has done very well as the Indian American community, but as a subgroup. In terms of education, in terms of business and engineering, and IT and medicine across the board,” she said.

    “This group definitely needs representation. Of course, there have been a lot of cases of discrimination against Sikhs, which is very unfortunate,” Kaul said.

    Responding to a question, Krystle said there have been a lot of cases of discrimination against Sikhs, which is very unfortunate. “I’ve seen it in my district, I’ve seen it in Virginia, and I’ve seen it at a national level. I say repeatedly, it doesn’t matter (how much is) your bank balance, it doesn’t matter how prominent you are, if you’re a Sikh man, you wear a turban. It’s a visible thing that you wear and something that can be used against you in terms of a hate crime,” she pointed out.

    There is a need to create more awareness and understanding that this is something that is part of a religion and one that should be respected, she said.

    “That is through education, through awareness, and that comes from representation. When you have people in Congress who say, hey, I stand up proudly to be a Sikh and this is not okay, you cannot do this. That’s when people start to listen. I think that’s something that I want to advocate,” she added.

    Kaul said her campaign is doing good and she is running a genuine, authentic and grassroots campaign. “I have the most cash on hand today. I came out very strong in Q4 with USD 567,000 in cash on hand surpassing all candidates by a lot. They told me I couldn’t do it. They often underestimate you as a woman, as a woman of color and particularly as they see women. I worked really hard,” she said.

    “Along with cash on hand, I also have a very strong and growing team. I have a team that’s right now 85 plus and growing. A lot of great top firms, and amazing staff that I have on hand, but also a volunteer team that exceeds 50 in several districts, in several states and also nationally who are really inspired. A lot of them are young Indian American girls in particular, which I’m really proud of, a lot of young Sikh girls for example,” Kaul said.

    “I also have a very multicultural growing volunteer base of Latinos, people from different communities,” she said, asserting that it “showcases a strong base”.

    She said she spoke at the Sikh International Film Festival in New York where she got to interact with filmmakers, the heads of Sikhs for America, the Punjabi Chamber of Commerce, and the Sikh Chamber of Commerce.

    “I’ve got a lot of support from very many prominent Sikhs, again locally and nationally. And that has also felt great just from a community standpoint and one that is tied to my cultural roots,” she said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Nikki Haley makes a compelling pitch to South Carolina voters ahead of key primary in home state

    Nikki Haley makes a compelling pitch to South Carolina voters ahead of key primary in home state

    CHARLESTON, SC (TIP): Indian-American presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Friday, February 23, made a compelling argument to fellow Republicans in South Carolina, on the eve of the crucial primary elections, with many of her supporters saying that she is the best bet for the US right now.

    Several Indian Americans who attended her political rally in her home state of South Carolina on the eve of the Republican presidential primary said that Haley would be the best person to lead the United States.

    With fingers crossed, given that former president Donald Trump is leading by over 22 percentage points, these Indian Americans were confident that Haley, 52, would continue her presidential campaign after Saturday and go up to the GOP convention.

    Even as Haley, a two-time former governor of South Carolina, has bridged the gap — once was more than 30 per cent — with Trump in South Carolina, the national media has virtually written her off and believes that the former president and her ex-boss would be the eventual nominee of the Republican Party.

    Haley and her team do not believe so. “In a general election, you’re given a choice. In a primary election, you make your choice,” she said.

    “This is the time for us to make our choice,” Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, told her supporters numbering a couple of hundred at the Patriots Point site in Charleston, South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary.

    “We can either do more of the same, and more of the same is not just Joe Biden, more of the same is Donald Trump, or we can elect a new generational leader that will lead us forward with solutions for the future,” she said, asserting that she is not leaving the race.

    “Some people in the media thought I would drop out of the race. Well, I’m not. Far from it,” she said.

    Haley said it is time to bring back normalcy to the US. “Our kids deserve to know what normal feels like. Joe Biden calls anybody who doesn’t support him fascist. And Donald Trump calls anybody who doesn’t support a vermin. That’s not normal,” she said.

    “Nikki is giving hope to the millions to make the change, which is needed. You could see the energy there,” said Arun Aggarwal, a longtime supporter and friend of the Republican presidential candidate.

    If elected, she would be the first-ever female and first-ever Indian-American president of the United States.

    Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa in South Carolina to immigrant Sikh parents from Amritsar, Punjab.

    “The speech was phenomenal. This was exactly the message she has been sharing with the voters over the last year,” Preya Samsundar, an Indian-American woman who attended the rally, told PTI.

    “Americans are concerned about what’s going around them every single day. As she said the world is on fire,” she said. Prittany Martinas, a young girl attending the Haley rally, said the former two-term governor of South Carolina is a common-sense conservative and brings hope to the people of the United States.

    “She is the leader that our generation needs. She is going to lead us in the right direction when it comes to the economy when it comes to reducing crime, reducing inflation. I think she is exactly what was needed in this new generation of leadership,” Prittany told PTI.

    “The one major difference here that we should focus on is that Nikki Haley gives us hope. Donald Trump does not give us hope,” said Elizabeth Smith, another woman participant at the rally.

    Meanwhile, Trump continued with his attack on Haley. Addressing a huge gathering of his supporters, Trump said “Tomorrow, you will cast one of the most important votes of your entire life.”

    He alleged that Haley is relying on Democrats and liberals and that the Democrats are financing her campaign.

    “Nikki Haley is not in this race to fight for you, she’s in the bidding for big donors, or maybe she wants to get a contract on CNN,” he said.

    He told his supporters not to vote for Haley. “A vote for Nikki Haley tomorrow is a vote for Joe Biden this November…A vote for Trump is a vote to FIRE Crooked Joe…,” Trump said.

    “So if you want a president who puts America first, then defeat Nikki Haley…fire Crooked Joe and elect your favorite president: Donald J. Trump,” he told the cheering crowd.

    In a conference call with reporters, Nikki Haley for President campaign manager Betsy Ankney announced a seven-figure ad buy across Super Tuesday states, the latest sign that Haley is moving full steam ahead.

    The ad buy consists of cable TV and digital platforms and will play in Super Tuesday states as 874 delegates are up for grabs on Tuesday, March 5.

    “History and the polls show that Trump cannot win. And thinking that Trump can somehow cobble together the winning coalition that propelled him to victory in 2016 against an enfeebled Joe Biden is just a pipe dream. Let’s look at what he’s done in just the last month,” Ankney said.

    “He has called women stupid. He has cozied up to dictators. He has encouraged Putin to invade Europe. He disparaged members of the military. And he also has spent USD 58 million in campaign contributions on his personal court cases.

    He lost Independents in New Hampshire by 22 points. He has done and said nothing that is going to bring back the demographics that our party has lost. They know who he is and they don’t like him. And they have rejected him in every single election since 2016,” she said.

    The Haley spokesperson said that there is a reason Biden and the Democrats want to run against Trump. “They know they can beat him. Again. If Trump is the nominee, the House is gone. If Trump is the nominee, the Senate map automatically shrinks from 8 or 9 targets to 3 – and keep in mind this is the best Senate map Republicans have for the rest of the decade,” Ankney told reporters.