SACRAMENTO (TIP): Elon Musk has agreed to pay $10,000 to his Indian American critic Randeep Hothi to settle a defamation lawsuit accusing the Tesla CEO of smearing him with false allegations that he menaced the electric-car maker’s employees.
Musk had accused Hothi of “almost” killing Tesla employees in a 2019 email to a tech editor, thereby triggering an online hate campaign, the lawsuit claimed.
“I feel vindicated,” Hothi said, adding that the case wasn’t about seeking fame or money.
Hothi got into a court skirmish with Tesla in California after he gained a following on Twitter under the handle “Skabooshka” calling out the company’s rocky production of its Model 3 sedan in 2018.
Hothi grew up near Tesla’s factory in Fremont, where he monitored production output using cameras and drones and his on-the-ground research caught the attention of several hedge funds.
In 2019 Tesla sought a restraining order against Hothi over claims he stalked its factory and harassed its employees — including dangerously swerving his car toward a Model 3 that was on a freeway test drive and injuring a Tesla security guard in a hit-and-run on company property.
Hothi denied those allegations and Tesla dropped its court complaint, but Hothi claimed in a 2020 defamation suit that Musk’s public criticism of him triggered an online hate campaign in which he was accused of being “a liar, a murderer, a terrorist, and a deranged maniac.”
Hothi said in a statement issued by his lawyers Monday that the settlement achieves his goal to clear his name and he tweeted about being vindicated. “In March 2023, Musk asked me to settle. I believe my work is now vindicated,” he tweeted. “For several reasons, I have decided to accommodate Musk (for a modest $10k). I now join the rest of you who are watching his public meltdown in real time.”
Gil Sperlein, one of Hothi’s attorneys, stated his client accepted Musk’s offer to settle the case. A court filing Monday indicates Hothi is dropping the case but doesn’t disclose the terms of settlement.
The case was scheduled to go to trial this year in Alameda County Superior Court in Hayward.
OAKLAND, CA (TIP): Blue Shield of California has appointed Krishna Ramachandran as senior vice president of Health Transformation and Provider Adoption to lead the nonprofit health plan’s bold strategy to reimagine health care. In this role, Ramachandran, an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India, is responsible for leading partnerships and innovations to improve healthcare quality for members, bring tools and support that benefit providers, and promote health equity and healthier communities throughout California, according to a company release. “At Blue Shield of California, our goal is to come together with a diverse group of providers to improve the quality of patient care for our members while lowering healthcare costs to ensure that all Californians have access to the care they deserve,” stated Peter Long, executive vice president of Strategy and Health Solutions at Blue Shield. “Krishna’s experience, talent and leadership will help us make that a reality for our members and communities throughout the state.”
“California is big, beautiful state rich with diverse people, geography, and cutting-edge technology,” said Ramachandran. “It is thrilling for me to step into this role and continue the trailblazing work Blue Shield of California has started to support healthcare providers and transform the system to make it worthy of family and friends and sustainably affordable.”
Ramachandran brings more than 20 years of experience to Blue Shield, offering unique leadership experience in technology, provider, and health plan organizations, according to the release.
Most recently, Ramachandran served as regional senior vice president of Illinois Health Care Delivery at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Previously, he began his healthcare career at Epic Systems before moving to Duly Health and Care. He is also a lecturer and scientific advisor at the University of Chicago.
Ramachandran earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani, India, a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and an Executive MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Oakland based Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.7 million members, over 7,800 employees and more than $22.9 billion in annual revenue.
LONDON (TIP): Award-winning British-Indian playwright and actor Meera Syal will be presented with a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, games, or television.
Syal, who starred in hit BBC comedies, ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘The Kumars at No 42’, will be honored at the BAFTA Television Awards, which will take place on May 14 at the Royal Festival Hall.
“I am thrilled and honored to be the recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship. I am particularly delighted that this year’s award is twinned with opportunities to mentor and support participants in BAFTA’s learning program — where I hope to engage with many talented practitioners and continue working to make BAFTA a truly representative and celebratory place for all our creatives,” Syal said. As part of the fellowship, she will work directly with the arts charity over the coming year to inspire and nurture aspiring creatives through BAFTA’s year-round learning, inclusion, and talent programs. She will be seen in two new major series this autumn — ‘The Wheel of Time’ and ‘Mrs Siddhu Investigates’. Born in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and educated at Manchester University, Syal read English and Drama, gaining a Double First.
(Source: IANS
NEW DELHI (TIP): A number of alumni of India’s premier engineering institutes — the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) — are among the top non-USA unicorn founders in the USA, reveals a study. Unicorn is a start-up that is valued at one billion dollars or more. The number of founders of unicorns from IIT, finds the study, is sizeable when compared with any other premier business school in the world, including the University of Oxford and INSEAD. The study has been conducted by Illya Strebulaev, who is a finance professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, USA.
According to the professor, who is also the founder of the Venture Capital Initiative at Stanford, nine founders of unicorns in the USA are alumni of IIT-Kanpur alone. The study, titled ‘Contribution of Non-US Universities to US Innovation,’ revealed that IIT- Delhi, like Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, and McGill University, has produced eight unicorn founders each.It is Tel Aviv University which is a leader in having produced unicorn founders, with 16 having studied there. The University of Waterloo and Technion Israel Institute of Technology follow with 11 unicorn founders each.
Global Media Female Media Company Recognizes 100 Women to KNOW Across America
PHOENIX, AZ (TIP): Sarah Benken, CEO and Publisher of the KNOW Book, has announced the honorees and honorable mentions of the 2023 100 Women to KNOW in America, an annual award recognizing the top 100 female leaders across North America. Honorees were recognized at the Annual KNOW Women Summit held April 23-25th at The FOUND:RE Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. The 100 Women to KNOW Across America Award, presented by JPMorgan Chase is a recognition that showcases the most influential, achieved, and honorable women in our society. Following a nomination and interview process, these women entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and philanthropists have not only grown their dreams, but have created boundless opportunities for the next generation of female leaders. These women exemplify what it means to be high-achieving and ambitious on the next level and continue to pour into their communities as they do so.
Neerja Patel, Neerja Public Relations
The 2023 Annual KNOW Women Summit and 100 Women to KNOW in America Award Gala brought together dynamic women leaders and business owners from North America for two full days of workshops, panels, networking opportunities, and awards presentations. The celebration shone the spotlight on honorees, with award presentations at the 100 Women to KNOW in America Award Dinner and Gala, presented by JPMorgan Chase.
Neerja Patel, one of the winners who is from New York tweeted:
“Humbled and honored to be recognized as one of the 100 Women To Know In America. Thank you @jpmorgan @chase @theknowwomen for this incredible honor!
“The 100 Women to KNOW Across America Award, presented by JPMorgan Chase is a recognition that showcases influential, achieved, and honorable women that have created boundless opportunities for the next generation of female leaders. Women that exemplify what it means to be high-achieving and ambitious on the next level and continue to pour into their communities as they do so”
“Definitely feels a bit surreal to be recognized at this level, but excited and grateful to be sharing this with fellow South Asian honoree, my dear friend and podcast host, @kanikachaddagupta “🤍
WINNERS
Candace Nelson – Sprinkles Cupcakes, Los Angeles, California
LONDON (TIP): Lord Indarjit Singh is set to represent the Sikh community during the coronation of King Charles scheduled to be held in the Westminster Abbey near the House of Commons in London on May 6.
Lord Patel will represent the Hindu community, Lord Kamall will represent the Muslim community and Jews will be represented by Baronees Merron. The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Lord Indarjit Singh represented the Sikh community at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, former Member of Parliament Tarlochan Singh said in the statement. He had also participated in the wedding of the son of the then-Prince of Wales Charles.
King Charles III is also serving as the Head of the Church of England and all the ceremonies are conducted by the archbishop. However, it is reported that King Charles has expressed his desire to be a defender of all faiths while serving as head of the Christian faith in the UK. It is for the first time that peers from different faiths – Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish will be part of the procession during the coronation ceremony. The development will be a major break from the centuries-old tradition in the UK. The Sikh community hailed the decision of King Charles to give equal status to all religions, Tarlochan Singh said in the statement. The UK Government has named 90-year-old Lord Indarjit Singh to represent the Sikh community. Former MP Tarlochan Singh said that King Charles who was then-Prince of Wales visited Golden Temple in Amritsar during his first visit to India. He also visited Bangla Sahib during his second visit to India.
Tarlochan Singh said, “I may remind all my friends that as Prince of Wales the present King Charles went to Golden Temple Amritsar during his first visit to India and had darshan of Bangla Sahib New Delhi during his second visit. In 1997 Queen Elizabeth came to Golden Temple Amritsar.” Earlier this month, the UK’s royal family revealed new details, including a new Twitter emoji ahead of the coronation of King Charles III, which is scheduled to take place next month.
Taking to the official Twitter handle, the Royal Family said, “A special emoji for the Coronation has gone live today! The emoji, based on St Edward’s Crown, will appear when any of the following hashtags are used: #Coronation #CoronationConcert #TheBigHelpout #CoronationWeekend #CoronationBigLunch”.
The UK Royal family in a tweet stated, “On the morning of the Coronation, Their Majesties will travel from Buckingham Palace in The King’s Procession to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach – which was created in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.”
The UK Royal Family further said, “The King’s Procession, accompanied by The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, will depart Buckingham Palace and proceed down The Mall, passing through Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall and along Parliament Street to Westminster Abbey.”
The procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace will take the same route in reverse. The procession will include Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories, and all Services of the UK’s Armed Forces.
In the tweet, the UK Royal Family stated, “Their Majesties will travel in the Gold State Coach, which was commissioned in 1760 and was first used by King George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament in 1762 and has been used at every Coronation since that of William IV in 1831.” They further said that the Earl Marshal is planning and organizing the coronation.
LONDON (TIP): Two Indian-origin candidates are lined up to go head-to-head for the post of Leicester Mayor in the local elections coming up in the UK early next month.Conservative Party councilor Sanjay Modhwadia will compete with Rita Patel, a former Labor councilor who announced her bid recently in order to scrap the role. Patel, a Rushey Mead councilor from Leicester who will run as an independent, launched her campaign saying the city needed “a fresh start” and promised one of her first jobs will be to remove the mayoral role.Sitting Labor Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, expressed disappointment at Patel’s exit from the party after she was one of four city councilors suspended for six months for their attempt to scrap the mayor’s office through a vote at a council meeting last month.
Now the Tories have confirmed Modhwadia, a city councilor for North Evington, as their candidate to challenge Soulsby – who has held the job since it was created 12 years ago.
He was in the eye of the storm when Leicester witnessed sectarian clashes last September following an India-Pakistan cricket match. Modhwadia, a local businessman, has been campaigning to push for a “Made in Leicester” brand to improve the city’s perception around the globe.
While the Tories and Rita Patel have both said they want to get rid of the mayoral role, Leicester’s Green Party has promised a public referendum on the matter. The Green Party have chosen Mags Lewis – who also stood in 2019, finishing third – will be their candidate.
The election is scheduled for May 4 and anyone elected may just go on to have a short stay in office.
“Many local residents have contacted our party in recent months to suggest that this is something we should do and our members have also voted in favor of removing the position of City Mayor,” Richard Tutt, Chair of the City of Leicester Conservatives told ‘Leicester Mercury’. Many in the eastern England city believe the Leader of the Council system is more democratic and accountable for the people of Leicester.
EDMONTON (TIP): A 32-year-old Indo-Canadian police officer was killed in a traffic accident in the Canadian province of Alberta. Harvinder Singh Dhami died on Monday, April 10, after his vehicle crashed while responding to a noise complaint at 2 am east of Edmonton, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
According to police, Dhami was driving a police vehicle when he lost control and crashed into a concrete barrier. He was treated at the scene of the crash by emergency services and civilians but died from his injuries.
Dhami was a well-respected member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), having served for four years, police said in a news conference on Monday.
He was described as a dedicated officer who had a passion for serving his community, the report added.
Alberta RCMP deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said in Monday’s news conference that from the time Dhami graduated from the RCMP Depot in 2019, he had “a strong sense of responsibility.” “He was hardworking, dependable and so well-liked by everyone around him,” Zablocki said.
Dale Kendall, the Strathcona RCMP detachment commander, said Dhami is survived by his wife.
“He was a husband. He was a son. He was a brother. He was a friend. He was a colleague. And he was so much more,” Kendall said. The news of Dhami’s death has been met with shock and sadness by his colleagues and the wider police community. Many have taken to social media to express their condolences and pay tribute to his life and service. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted condolences on Twitter and thanked Dhami for his service.
“This is incredibly heartbreaking. I want to extend Alberta’s deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Cst. Dhami,” she wrote.
On Monday afternoon, a makeshift memorial that included flowers had emerged outside the Strathcona RCMP detachment.
Zablocki said Mounties are grateful for the support they are receiving from the community as they mourn the loss of a colleague who “took great pride in wearing the uniform.” “Losing a member of our police service and a member of the community is very difficult,” Zablocki said.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian-origin chef, who works with a senior citizens charity in the UK, is among the British Empire Medal (BEM) winners on the royal invitation list for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Coronation ceremony in London next month, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday, April 8.
Manju Malhi was awarded a BEM for services to the community in London during the COVID-19 response and will join 850 BEM recipients as well as other community champions and charity representatives from across the UK at the ceremony to be held in Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Malhi is a professional chef who, since 2016, has acted as the Resident Chef for the charity Open Age, which champions an active life for older people in London, helping those aged 50 or older to sustain their physical and mental fitness, maintain an active lifestyle and develop new interests.
“Manju turned Open Age’s kitchen into a cookery school and restaurant for members and staff, and offered remote cookery classes during COVID-19,” the palace statement notes.
“Manju also leads Open Age’s community Big Local Family Cooking Club. The sessions are fun, interactive and an opportunity for local residents from all backgrounds to come together, make a meal and eat together as community family,” it adds.
The British-born chef and food writer grew up in north-west London and specializes in Anglo-Indian cuisine.
She spent several years of her childhood in India, where she explored and experienced the vast and varied cuisines of the country of her heritage.
Malhi, who also appears on television cookery shows, has come up with what she describes as a “Brit-Indi” style of food, which mixes Indian and western influences.
The chef was awarded her BEM by the late Queen Elizabeth II, an honor conferred on those behind a sustained commitment in support of a local charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work that has delivered a real impact in the community.
The BEM particularly recognizes the achievement or contribution of service to the community in a local area. The palace says that many of the 450 BEM recipients attending the Coronation Service were instrumental in providing services and support to their local communities during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Meanwhile, around 400 wider community champions have also been nominated by the King, Queen and the UK government.
They represent a range of charitable organizations with a long history of support from the royal family, including 200 young people involved with the Prince’s Trust, the Prince’s Foundation, Barnardo’s, the National Literacy Trust and Ebony Horse Club.
They will be among the chosen few to have the opportunity to watch the special Coronation service and procession from St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey.
The church at the Abbey in London is known as “the Church on Parliament Square” and is a 12th-century place of worship. The palace said that it is understood that this is the first time St Margaret’s, Westminster Abbey, has been used to host young people at a coronation.
Others among the gathering will be representing organizations such as the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK, St John Ambulance and the National Citizen Service, nominated by the British government for providing stewarding, route lining and first aid services on Coronation Day across London. It is also a nod to Queen Elizabeth II, who was the former Royal Patron of the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK and Barnardo’s.
The Coronation is being organized on a grand scale and will be marked by a series of grand events over a celebratory long weekend in the UK between May 6 and 8, including much pomp and pageantry and street parties.
Buckingham Palace expects tens of thousands of people to visit the UK capital to experience the “unique and historic occasion”, with millions more watching from home, across the UK and around the globe.
CHICAGO (TIP): Following a contested primary and general election contest in the 2022 election cycle, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) raised over $1.4 million in just the first three months of the 2024 election cycle.
Not only has he significantly beaten his own personal quarterly fundraising record, but also far surpassed the vast majority of all federal candidates for elected office in the United States.
Most of the money comes from grassroots donations, indicating that Krishnamoorthi’s support among a diverse geographic, ideological, ethnic, and religious political coalition.
For context, this means in just the first three months of the 2024 election cycle, Krishnamoorthi raised approximately what his 2022 primary and general election challengers raised in total together for the entire 2022 cycle.
These huge numbers show that anyone interested in taking on Krishnamoorthi is in for a significant challenge.
“He is a strong fundraiser because he is extremely popular,” said one Illinois Democratic operative. “He always shows up, he always lends a helping hand, and he always advocates for the issues that his community cares about. It’s not that complicated. And it’s also not that complicated to see that he’s undefeatable.”
Yet, while Rep. Krishnamoorthi raises resources to defend against challenges to his Illinois 8th Congressional District seat, he has also emerged as national leader in helping Democrats win back the majority in the US House of Representatives.
According to a story earlier this week in Politico’s Illinois Playbook, Krishnamoorthi “leads all Democrats in Congress in hitting his fundraising goal for dues owed to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).” Punchbowl News also reported last week that he has already raised $2.6 million for the DCCC, ranking him the third-highest fundraiser for the Democrats’ campaign arm out of the 213 Democrats currently serving in the US House of Representatives.
Krishnamoorthi declined to comment for this story, but a spokesperson for the Congressman’s campaign said, “Congressman Raja is proud of the strong support he has received to continue to serve as the US Representative of Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, which he will not take for granted.”
VANCOUVER (TIP): A 28-year-old Sikh, facing multiple charges including assault, uttering threats, and mischief, has turned himself in at Vancouver Provincial Court, police said.
Manveer Singh Dhesi, who turned himself in on March 31, is known to live in Surrey but police said he also frequents Burnaby in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
The Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had put out a notice earlier this week seeking public assistance in locating Dhesi wanted on a British Columbia wide arrest warrant.
According to information presented during a bail hearing on March 31, Dhesi’s charges relate to alleged incidents on March 13 at his ex-girlfriend’s home, Burnaby Now reported. His ex-girlfriend, her sister, her brother-in-law and her brother-in-law’s brother were all at the house, according to Crown prosecutor Jennifer Dyck.
“There was an alleged incident where Dhesi turned up at their home, assaulted, allegedly, two of the individuals and barged into the home without consent,” Dyck told Burnaby Now.
British Columbia provincial court Judge Jeffrey Campbell ordered Dhesi to pay a fine of $500 and asked him not to go within two blocks of his ex-girlfriend’s house, or contact any of his alleged victims.
NEW YORK (TIP): An Indian American Associate Professor at New York-based Albert Einstein College of Medicine has been honored with the Young Urologist Award in recognition of her efforts and commitment to advance the development of fellow young urologists.
Dr Nitya Abraham, Program Director for the Montefiore Urology residency program, has mentored countless students, residents, fellows and junior faculty both at her institution and others in the New York region.
“I’m grateful to my mentors over the years, my chair at Montefiore Medical Center, and of course, my parents and supportive husband, for molding and equipping me to win this award,” Abraham said in a statement.
“At a time when rates of physician burnout are increasing, it is wonderful that the American Urological Association and its leaders are recognizing the hard work of many young urologists across the country,” she added.
According to the American Urological Association (AUA), a ‘young’ urologist is defined as someone (who has completed training) who has been in practice for 10 years or less.
Abraham is also the Chair of the Executive Curriculum Committee for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has served the AUA as an Oral Board Review Course faculty member. She is a member of the Society for Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine, and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) Young Urologists Committee and social media committee.
The awards committee described Abraham as a prolific researcher with a clinical research focus on the impact of social determinants of health on pelvic floor health.
She has received funding from the US Department of Defense for urinary diagnostic markers of interstitial cystitis and is also a co-author of the AUA White Paper on Rationale and Strategies for Reducing Urologic Post-Operative Opioid Prescribing, a statement released by AUA said. A graduate of University of Connecticut, Abraham completed Medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center and the Urology residency at the same place.
She did a fellowship in Female Urology at Cleveland Clinic, following which she joined the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. She is the daughter of Dr Thomas Abraham, Chairman of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) International, and retired internist/geriatrician Dr Susy Abraham.
Along with Abraham, Rena Malik, MD from Mid-Atlantic Section at the University of Maryland; Jesse D. Sammon, DO from New England Section at Maine Medical Partners Urology; Sarah Vij, MD from North Central Section at Cleveland Clinic; Alexander J. Ernest from MD, Society of Government Service Urologists at Brooke Army Medical Center, etc., also received the award.
Established in 2012-2013, AUA’s Young Urologist of the Year Award is presented annually to select early-career members in recognition of their efforts and commitment to advancing the development of fellow young urologists. The following members were selected by their colleagues who serve on the Young Urologists Committee and endorsed by their respective Section/Society to receive this special honor for 2023.
ILLINOIS (TIP): Viraj Patel, a doctoral student and teaching assistant at Illinois State University‘s School of Communications has received its Outstanding University Graduate Student Teaching Award for 2022.
The award for doctoral students who lead classes, recognizes graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate persistent, focused, and purposeful dedication to striving for excellence.
Patel, a second-year doctoral student in the School of Communication, has taught COM 110 and COM 111. His favorite class to teach is COM 110 because he has a love for public speaking and finds a sense of accomplishment when guiding students through the class, according to a university press release.
“Public speaking is so overwhelming, so I really like seeing those ‘a ha’ moments in students when they realize they can do this and that it isn’t as scary as they thought it would be,” said Patel.
His motivations as a teacher have aided him in his time as an instructor, the release said.
“The great teachers I have had in the past inspire me, they have helped me to think better, be a better member of society, and showed me through teaching we can all collectively learn and help others learn to be better people and better citizens in society,” said Patel.
Patel has always been heavily involved in public speaking and communication, which became his way of defining himself, and teaching the public speaking course was an opportunity he enjoyed. “It’s amazing to receive recognition for teaching a subject that means so much to me and especially to be chosen by people who have seen and awarded incredible teachers throughout the years is an honor,” said Patel. According to his LinkedIn profile, Patel’s areas of teaching expertise include public speaking, rhetorical communication, and media theories. He recently served as the Program Coordinator in the Office of Orientation Services at Illinois Wesleyan University, helping plan summer and fall semester orientation programs for 400-plus first year students.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Amit Kshatriya, a decorated Indian American software and robotics engineer was appointed as the first head of NASA’s newly established Moon to Mars Program that will help the agency ensure a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Red Planet.
Kshatriya will serve as NASA’s first head of the office, with immediate effect, the agency announced on Thursday, March 30. The new office aims to carry out the agency’s human exploration activities on the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity, a NASA press release said.
“The golden age of exploration is happening right now, and this new office will help ensure that NASA successfully establishes a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Red Planet,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“The Moon to Mars Program Office will help prepare NASA to carry out our bold missions to the Moon and land the first humans on Mars,” Nelson explained.
The new office resides within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, reporting to its Associate Administrator Jim Free, it said.
As directed by the 2022 NASA Authorization Act, the Moon to Mars Program Office focuses on hardware development, mission integration and risk management functions for programs critical to the agency’s exploration approach that uses Artemis missions at the Moon to open a new era of scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars, according to the press release.
This includes the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, human landing systems, spacesuits, Gateway, and more related to deep space exploration. The new office will also lead planning and analysis for long-lead developments to support human Mars missions, it said.In his new role, Kshatriya will be responsible for program planning and implementation for human missions to the Moon and Mars.
Kshatriya directed and provided leadership and integration for the Space Launch System, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems programs, as well as associated Artemis Campaign Development Division initiatives linking the agency’s Moon to Mars objectives, it said.
Previously, Kshatriya served as the acting deputy associate administrator for the Common Exploration Systems Development Division.
Kshatriya began his career in the space program in 2003, working as a software engineer, robotics engineer, and spacecraft operator primarily focused on the robotic assembly of the International Space Station.
From 2014 to 2017, he served as a space station flight director, where he led global teams in the operations and execution of the space station during all phases of flight.
In 2021, he was assigned to NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate as an assistant deputy associate administrator, where he was an integral part of the team that returned a spacecraft designed to carry humans to the Moon during the Artemis I mission.
Son of first-generation Indian immigrants to the US, Kshatriya holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and a Master of Arts in Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin. Kshatriya was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, but considers Katy, Texas, to be his hometown. He was decorated with the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for actions as the lead flight director for the 50th expedition to the space station, as well as the Silver Snoopy — an award that astronauts bestow for outstanding performance contributing to flight safety — for his actions as lead robotics officer for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Dragon demonstration mission to the orbiting laboratory, the release added.
NEW YORK (TIP): Five Indian American women figure in Barron’s fourth annual list of the 100 Most Influential Women in US Finance honoring “women who have achieved positions of prominence in the financial services industry and are helping to shape its future.” Chosen by a panel of Barron’s writers and editors based on external and internal nominations, the list includes executives at major US companies, investment managers and securities analysts, and public servants and policy makers.
Indian Americans on the list are Anu Aiyengar, Global Head, Mergers and Acquisitions, JP Morgan, Rupal J Bhansali, Chief Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager, Global Equities, Ariel Investments, Meena Lakdawala-Flynn, Co-Head, Global Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs Group, Sonal Desai, Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton, and Savita Subramanian, Head of US Equity & Quantitative Strategy, Bank of America Securities.
Anu Aiyengar has been in mergers and acquisitions from early in her career, according to her Barron’s profile. She is the only person of color and the sole woman to carry this position on Wall Street.
Since 1999, she has advised both domestic and international clients on over $500 billion worth of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures/separations, leveraged buyouts, proxy contests, unsolicited transactions and special committee assignments. She also serves on JP Morgan’s fairness and valuation committee. As the co-chair of the Investment Bank’s women network Aiyengar is involved with several initiatives across JP Morgan and Wall Street to recruit, mentor and develop women.
She is also co-chair of the Smith Business Advisory Network. Aiyengar lives in New York City with her husband. She has a BA in economics from Smith College and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Rupal J. Bhansali, 55, broke through the glass ceiling and now uses her position as a senior leader to help other women succeed in finance. “My mantra is: I want women to earn money, learn money, manage money, and multiply money,” she told Barron’s. Bhansali manages more than $7 billion, including Ariel’s International Fund and Global Fund. This is her third appearance on Barron’s 100 list.
After joining the board of the nonprofit 100 Women in Finance, she launched the webinar series “Candid Conversations with CIOs,” to give women an insider’s view of what it takes to become a chief investment officer and to show the impact that investors can have when managing billions of dollars in funds.
“It’s said that women can’t be what they can’t see, so this is my effort of giving female CIOs more visibility and trying to showcase to our industry at large that this is what you can be,” she told the magazine.
She earned a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and finance, as well as a Master of Commerce in international finance and banking from the University of Mumbai. She later earned an MBA in finance from the University of Rochester, where she was a Rotary Foundation Scholar.
Sonal Desai, 58, is responsible for overseeing Franklin’s Municipal, Corporate Credit, Floating Rate, Multisector, Global (including Emerging Markets), and Money Market Fixed Income teams.
She is also a portfolio manager for a number of strategies. A member of Franklin Resources’ executive committee, a small group of the company’s top leaders responsible for shaping the firm’s overall strategy, she also serves on the firm’s Management and Investment Committees.
Before her current role, she served as a portfolio manager with Dr Michael Hasenstab for the flagship Templeton Global Bond and Templeton Global Total Return strategies, as well as director of research for Templeton Global Macro.
Desai started her career as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh and then worked for over six years at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC.
Following this, she joined the private financial sector and worked for about five years as director and senior economist for Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London.
Desai joined Franklin Templeton in 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Delhi University and a PhD in economics from Northwestern University.
Savita Subramanian, 50, is head of US Equity Strategy & US Quantitative Strategy and a managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is responsible for determining forecasts for the S&P 500, recommending US sector allocations and themes, and developing and marketing the firm’s US equity strategy product to institutional and individual clients.
Subramanian is also a member of the firm’s Research & Recommendations Committee and a member of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Diversity & Inclusion Council.
She has received high ranks in industry surveys including the Institutional Investor All America Research Team (ranked for the past 6 years) Greenwich Research survey, and Bloomberg Markets World’s Top Analysts.
Subramanian frequently appears in television and print journalism and is a member/board member of Q Group, Chicago Quantitative Alliance, the Society of Quantitative Analysts and Women on Wall Street.
Before joining Merrill Lynch in 2001, Subramanian was an analyst at Scudder Kemper Investments in New York and San Francisco. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Mathematics and Philosophy with Honors from UC Berkeley and an MBA degree from Columbia University. Meena Flynn’s career in finance began soon after a sports injury, according to Barron’s. A zealous gymnast who at one point wanted to compete in the Olympics, Flynn had to stay at George Washington University one summer to rehabilitate her knee.
She did an internship at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, working on the institutional equity sales desk. “The moment I stepped foot onto that trading floor, it was competitive juices flowing,” recalls Flynn, co-head of global private wealth management at Goldman Sachs Group. “I just loved the markets and how micro and macro come together from an investing perspective.” Flynn, 45, joined JPMorgan Chase in 1999. The following year, Flynn moved to Goldman Sachs, becoming a partner in 2014. Today she wears several hats, including co-chairing the global inclusion and diversity committee. She recently attended a marquee event in California for a program called In the Lead, which caters to ultrahigh-net-worth women.
VANCOUVER (TIP): A 32-year-old Indian-origin man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder of a Canadian in downtown Vancouver, police said. Inderdeep Singh Gosal fatally stabbed Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37, after a brief altercation between two men outside the Starbucks Cafe at West Pender and Granville Street on Sunday evening. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Footage of the videos shared by by-standers on social media show victim lying in a pool of blood outside the Starbucks Cafe, and Gosal being taken into custody by police.
“We believe this homicide was witnessed by dozens of bystanders, and there may be people with information who have not yet come forward,” Sergeant Steve Addison of Vancouver Police Department said.
“We particularly want to hear from anyone who was present in the moments before the stabbing, or anyone who has cell-phone video of the incident.”
A constable patrolling in the area was flagged down moments after the stabbing, and arrested Gosal at the crime scene. Additional police officers attempted to save the victim’s life by performing first aid, however he succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to hospital. Investigators do not believe the victim and suspect knew each other, however the circumstances that led up to the fatal stabbing remain under investigation.
Schmidt is Vancouver’s sixth homicide victim of 2023. According to some media reports, Gosal was last seen attending a pro-Khalistan rally outside the Indian High Commission in Canada.
SACRAMENTO (TIP): Sacramento area Sikh leaders have condemned the shooting that wounded two men at a Sikh gurdwara Sunday and marred what had been a weekend of joyous celebration.
Two men were critically wounded in the afternoon shooting at the Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society on the 7600 block of Bradshaw Road, in Sacramento County’s Vineyard area where thousands had gathered Sunday for the temple’s first Nagar Kirtan, a traditional neighborhood celebration and parade.
“There is no honor in causing harm to others including your own community,” Bobbie Singh-Allen, Elk Grove mayor and a parishioner of Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society told the local media.
She was surrounded by parishioners and temple officials, at a Monday afternoon news conference on the gurdwara’s grounds. “We came to this country for a better life through the sacrifices of our parents and grandparents,” she was quoted as saying. “This is not the dream they imagined for their youth.”
Two of the men were involved in a fistfight, the pair exchanging punches. A friend of one of the men shot a friend of the other combatant, Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi said.
The men, all in their 20s, were not part of the parade, but knew each other, Singh-Allen said Monday. “These displays of violence go against our Sikh faith. It is unfortunate that they brought their issues to a place of worship where everyone should feel safe.”
The two men are expected to survive, Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesman Amar Gandhi said. The suspected gunman, 21-year-old Karman Sandhu, was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of attempted murder charges and is being held without bail.
One of the men who was shot will be booked into Sacramento County custody once he is released from the hospital, sheriff’s officials said. Gandhi said the men were of East Indian descent but did not know if they were of the Sikh faith.
Gandhi said another firearm was found Monday on the temple grounds and that investigators were reviewing hundreds of interviews from witnesses who had crowded the festival.
What brought them to the festival remained unclear Monday. “People don’t usually come to a place of worship to start trouble,” Gandhi said. Private security firm NorCal Security was hired to patrol the event but did not search or find weapons at the temple site.
Organizers envisioned the Sikh Society’s first Sikh Parade as a replica of the traditional annual Sikh festival and parade in Yuba City, home to one the nation’s oldest Sikh communities. The festival draws tens of thousands of the faithful each year to agricultural Sutter County to celebrate faith and community. “It was just as beautiful as that,” Varinder Singh, a parishioner and one of the festival’s organizers said Monday.
Sunday’s parade across nearly seven miles of south Sacramento County, was to be a capstone, according to the Bee. Then shots rang out. No one else among the thousands of revelers was hurt.
The parade was halted briefly out of caution but soon resumed. Many of the revelers returned to the grounds for the evening’s services, a show, Singh-Allen said, of the community’s resilience.
Singh-Allen and others singled out Gandhi, the sheriff’s sergeant, who ensured the Sikh holy scripture, carried at the parade, was returned to the gurdwara during an active crime scene.
The Sacramento Sikh Society said it is unbowed. It plans for the weekend festival to be an annual event. March 31, 2024 is already marked for next year’s festival.
“This is holy ground. This is a sanctuary. Everyone should feel safe and welcome here at the gurdwara, or any gurdwara,” Singh-Allen was quoted as saying.
“This will not deter our community from coming together and openly celebrating our faith. We will work hard to make sure all future events will continue. We will not live in fear.”
NEW HAVEN, CT (TIP): Lt. Manmeet Colon, a Mumbai, India-born Sikh woman has become New Haven, Connecticut’s first ever assistant police chief of Indian descent and second ever female assistant chief of color.
Surrounded by dozens of friends, family members, city workers, and police colleagues, Colon, 37, raised her right hand and took the oath of office as the city’s third assistant police chief in charge of patrol on Friday, local media reported.
Colon’s older daughter Milan joined Colon’s brother Prabhjyot Singh in pinning Colon’s new assistant chief badge on her uniform, as Mayor Justin Elicker then administered the oath of office.
“Your mom has done great things. She will do so many great things” to come, Elicker said through near-tears of his own as he looked over at Milan and her sister, Maya.
Colon, who immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old hoped that she inspires others from similar backgrounds to pursue careers in law enforcement.
“I come from a Sikh family. I speak Punjabi. I’m very proud of my heritage,” Colon was quoted as saying by the media.
“More important is the mission and the values of the department. To me, it’s all about being fair and impartial. My background, my morals, my family values and traditions a I feel like I bring a lot to the table. I’m glad there’s a space for me at the table,” she added.
Colon thanked her colleagues — and her family and friends — before closing out Friday’s ceremony. She urged her colleagues, especially on bad days, to “remind yourself of how privileged you are to be part of such a rewarding and strong profession.”
“With great power comes great responsibility,” she said, “and ever greater accountability.”
“A trailblazer, AC Colon is the 2nd woman of color & the 1st of Indian descent to serve in the position in the history of the NHPD – and I’m confident she will continue to serve our city w/honor & distinction in this new role,” Elicker tweeted.
“This is a great day for the City of New Haven, and also for the Indian community and women of color in the city and state; another glass ceiling has been broken,” Police Commission Chair Evelise Ribeiro said.
Colon, a 15-year NHPD veteran, has risen through the ranks and served in a wide variety of roles during her tenure with the NHPD, Ribeiro and Police Chief Karl Jacobson noted with praise.
She has worked in patrol, as a detective in the special victim’s unit, as a sergeant supervising the robbery and burglary unit, as a lieutenant and district manager for Newhallville and Dixwell, and most recently as the head of the Internal Affairs division.
“She was tough, but she was also very kind,” Jacobson said as he recalled working in patrol in the Hill at the same as when Colon joined the force a decade and a half ago. He said they both learned about what community policing truly looks like under the mentorship of Hill’s top cop at the time, now-retired Lt. Holly Wasilewski. Jacobson also noted how he brought his own daughter, who is studying criminal justice at University of New Haven, to Friday’s ceremony to be inspired by and take note of such an accomplished female police officer as Colon. “I brought her here because I want her to look up to you,” he said, pushing back tears as he looked over at Colon.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian American House of Representative member Ro Khanna, who was considering a bid for the US Senate has announced he will not be running for the upper chamber next year.
Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley in the Congress is instead endorsing fellow Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee and will co-chair her campaign in the competitive race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Khanna, who was considering his own bid for the US Senate seat that Feinstein will vacate at the end of her term, told media he decided the House was “the best place” for him at the moment.
“I have concluded that despite a lot of enthusiasm from Bernie [Sanders] folks, the best place, the most exciting place, action place, fit place for me to serve as a progressive is in the House of Representatives, and I’m honored to be co-chairing Barbara Lee’s campaign for the Senate and endorsing her today,” he said to media.
“We need a strong anti-war senator, and she will play that role,” he said. Lee is facing off against fellow Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, who have each already picked up key endorsements, from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, respectively.
As a leader in the House Progressive Caucus, Khanna’s endorsement could help Lee shore up progressive support in what’s expected to be a competitive — and expensive — race, according to a report.
“I have respect for them,” Khanna said of Porter and Schiff, “but Barbara Lee is a unique voice. She was the lone vote against the endless war in Afghanistan. She stood up so strongly against the war in Iraq. She worked with me and stopping — trying to stop the war in Yemen and the war powers resolution.”
Khanna also noted that there are currently no African American women in the Senate, and Lee would fill that void. “Frankly, Jake, representation matters,” Khanna told the media. “The other two are formidable candidates, but I think Barbara Lee is going to be very, very strong.”
Feinstein, 89, the longest-serving woman in Senate history, announced her plans to forgo a 2024 bid last month.
California’s primary system allows the top two vote-getters to advance to the general election regardless of party, a system that’s likely to pit two Democrats against each other in November 2024 in a solidly blue state.
VANCOUVER (TIP): In an apparent hate crime, a 21-year-old Sikh student from India was attacked in Canada’s British Columbia province by a group of unidentified men who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair, according to a media report.
Gagandeep Singh was assaulted when he was heading home on Friday night, media reported. Councilor Mohini Singh said she heard of the attack shortly after it happened and went to visit Gagandeep.
“I was horrified when I saw him. He could speak only in soft tones and couldn’t open his mouth,”‘ she told the media. She said the young man’s eyes were swollen shut and he was in significant pain.
The councilor said she was told that Gagandeep was heading home around 10.30pm after grocery-shopping when he encountered a group of 12 to 15 young people on the bus. It was St Patrick’s Day and Mohini Singh said a rowdy group was on the bus, throwing a wig around.
“They were harassing him and threw the wig at him. He told them not to bother him or he’d call the police, and they continued to harass him,” she said. Gagandeep got off the bus.
“They got off after him, waited for the bus to leave and then they swarmed him, they beat him in his face, in his ribs, arms, and legs and then proceeded to grab his turban, pull his hair and drag him,” Mohini Singh said, adding that the group took the turban with them when they left Gagandeep in a pile of “dirty snow” on the roadside.
“Taking his turban was the worst, it feels like they’ve taken it as a trophy.”
After he regained consciousness, Gagandeep called a friend who came to the scene and called 911. Mohini Singh said Gagandeep’s friends and fellow international students had been left shaken and scared by the attack, prompting a gathering at the bus stop on Sunday where they spoke out about how they felt less safe in their community.
The councilor said the fact that Gangandeep is Sikh and from India was “undoubtedly” a factor in the assault.
“I entirely believe this is racism and it should be treated as that. It should be looked at through the lens of being a hate crime. This is so wrong on so many levels. This is not something that is acceptable anywhere — not in Kelowna, not anywhere,” she said.
“This is intolerable, it’s absolutely disgusting.”
The Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in a statement, confirmed that they are investigating after someone was “hit from behind and assaulted” by a group of people at the bus stop on Friday evening and that responding officers found the victim “lying on the ground”. No details about injuries were provided but authorities said the victim was taken to hospital by paramedics. “The Kelowna RCMP take this very seriously and are concerned that this type of crime has happened in our city,” spokesperson Constable Mike Della-Paolera said. “This assault is the top priority for our investigators.”
LOUISIANA (TIP): A Louisiana man responsible for the shooting death of Mya Patel, a 5-year-old Indian American girl who was playing in a motel room with her family, will spend the rest of his life in jail.
Joseph Lee Smith, 35, will spend the next 100 years in prison, Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office announced on March 23, local media reported. Smith was found guilty in January 2023.
District Judge John D. Mosely Jr. sentenced Smith to 60 years for the March 2021 death of Patel. Smith will also serve 20 years for obstruction of justice, and another 20 years for aggravated battery.
His terms will be served without the benefit of probation, parole or reduction of sentence. And his sentences will be served consecutively, for a total of 100 years.
The DA’s office said in a press release that “the terms were enhanced by Smith being a repeat felony offender and must be served consecutively, for the total of 100 years.”
Back on March 20, 2021, Smith got into some sort of argument with another man in the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel in the 4900 block of Monkhouse Drive, Shreveport, Louisiana.
At the time, the motel was owned and operated by Vimal and Snehal Patel, who were living in one of the units on the ground floor. The Patels were in their room with their daughter, Mya, and a younger sibling when the shooting happened. During the argument, Smith hit the other man with a 9 mm handgun, which went off. The bullet missed the other man but went into the room where the Patels were living and hit Mya in the head; the bullet also grazed Snehal. Patel was rushed to Ochsner LSU Health, where she battled for three days and was pronounced dead on March 23, 2021.
