The Indian Panorama

Tag: Rajeev Bhambri

  • The Indian Panorama at 18: A Chronicle of Perseverance and Triumph

    The Indian Panorama at 18: A Chronicle of Perseverance and Triumph

    Prof Saluja greeting Manmohan Singh at the White House reception for the Indian Prime Minister

    As The Indian Panorama marks its 18th year of publication, it is a moment of reflection and celebration. The journey of this periodical has been akin to that of a determined soldier, navigating through the initial hiccups with resilience and evolving into a formidable force in the media landscape. While acknowledging the achievements, it is crucial to recognize that this milestone is not the culmination but a checkpoint in the ongoing crusade for truth and journalistic excellence.

    The Genesis: Initial Hiccups and Challenges

    Eighteen years ago, The Indian Panorama embarked on its journalistic odyssey, fueled by the passion for truth and a commitment to providing a comprehensive view of Indian affairs. Like any nascent venture, the publication faced its share of initial hiccups. Limited resources, a competitive media environment, and the challenge of establishing credibility were formidable hurdles.

    The publication encountered skepticism and doubt, but it weathered the storm, recognizing that the path to success is often paved with challenges. The formative years were a testing ground for the resilience and determination that would come to define The Indian Panorama’s character.

    Vaisakhi at the Consulate organized by Prof. Saluja
    Jewels of India Award for Prof Saluja

    The Determined Soldier: Overcoming Adversities

    Much like a determined soldier pushing forward despite the odds, The Indian Panorama navigated through the intricacies of the media landscape. It adapted to changing technologies, evolving reader preferences, and the demands of a dynamic news cycle. The team behind the publication demonstrated a commitment to journalistic integrity, delving into stories with depth and presenting a nuanced perspective on the events shaping the nation.

    The early struggles became stepping stones, shaping the identity of The Indian Panorama. The publication began to carve its niche, distinguishing itself through insightful reporting, balanced analysis, and a commitment to presenting the truth, even when it was uncomfortable.

    With Amb. Manoja K. Mohapatra, VConsul General of India in Guatemala.
    Prof. Saluja speaking at the Bal Divas at the Consulate General of India in New York on December 26, 2022

    Capturing the Post: Milestones and Achievements

    As the years unfolded, The Indian Panorama captured significant milestones, much like a soldier conquering strategic posts. The publication gained recognition for its investigative journalism, incisive editorials, and coverage of issues often overlooked by mainstream media. It became a trusted source of information, earning the respect of readers and peers alike.

    The expansion into digital platforms and the embrace of multimedia storytelling further fortified The Indian Panorama’s presence. Social media became a battleground for disseminating accurate information, engaging with a wider audience, and challenging misinformation. The publication demonstrated an ability to adapt to the changing media landscape while staying true to its core values.

    Prof. Saluja interacts with S.M. Krishna, the then External Affairs Minister of India
    Prof. Saluja with Comptroller New York John Liu and the Sikh communityNew York John Liu 

    The ongoing crusade: More Posts to Conquer

    As The Indian Panorama stands at the threshold of its 18th year, it acknowledges the milestones achieved but remains cognizant that the journey is far from over. In the dynamic realm of journalism, there are always more posts to conquer, more stories to unearth, and more truths to bring to light.

    The evolving landscape of media presents new challenges and opportunities. The rise of digital journalism, the need for responsible reporting in the age of fake news, and the continuous quest for relevance in an ever-changing readership landscape are all frontiers that demand exploration.

    The commitment to truth, accuracy, and ethical journalism remains unwavering. The Indian Panorama understands that each milestone reached is not an endpoint but a checkpoint in the ongoing crusade for journalistic excellence. The publication looks forward to the future with optimism, ready to face new challenges head-on and to continue providing a panoramic view of the div

    Preity Zinta presented the FIA award to Prof. Saluja

    erse and dynamic landscape of India and the US, in particular, and the world, in general.

    As I reflect on the journey that brought The Indian Panorama to its present standing, I am compelled to acknowledge the integral role played by the pillars that upheld its foundation – the unwavering support of patrons, the crucial backing of advertisers, the invaluable contributions of readers and contributors, and the steadfast encouragement from friends and family. These collective forces have been instrumental in shaping the narrative and fortifying the publication’s commitment to its motto, “EVER TRUTHFUL.”

    Admirable Advertisers: Financial Backbone

    The unyielding journey of The Indian Panorama would not have been possible without the vital support of our advertisers. They provided more than just financial backing; they became the backbone of our operations. Their belief in the publication’s mission and the power of its reach fueled our ability to bring stories to light. The symbiotic relationship between The Indian Panorama and its advertisers has been crucial in sustaining the publication’s growth and influence.

    Presenting a copy of The Indian Panorama to Meera Shankar, India’s Ambassador to the US

    Devoted Readers: Strength in Numbers

    The strength of any publication lies in its readership, and The Indian Panorama has been fortunate to have a community of devoted readers. Their commitment to seeking truth, staying informed, and engaging with diverse perspectives has fueled the publication’s relevance. The readership’s unwavering support has been a driving force, inspiring the team to continually strive for excellence in journalism. The bond between The Indian Panorama and its readers is a testament to the publication’s impact on its audience.

    Receiving award from Ambassador Arun Kumar Singh and AIA officials

    Invaluable Contributors: Enriching the Narrative 

    A publication is only as strong as the material it presents, and The Indian Panorama owes a debt of gratitude to its contributors. Their diverse perspectives, insightful analyses, and compelling narratives have enriched the reading experience for our audience. Whether seasoned journalists, emerging writers, or subject matter experts, each contributor has played a pivotal role in shaping the depth and breadth of The Indian Panorama’s content.

    Prof Saluja with India’s tennis legend Vijay Amrithraj

    Steadfast Support: Friends and Family

    Behind every endeavor, there is a network of support that provides the emotional fortitude needed to weather challenges. In the case of The Indian Panorama, friends and family have been the bedrock of encouragement. Their unwavering belief in the never-say-die spirit, the courage to go forward, and the commitment to staying true to the motto “EVER TRUTHFUL” have been the driving force behind the publication’s resilience.

    Sustaining the Never-Say-Die Spirit

    The journey of The Indian Panorama has been a tapestry woven with the threads of collective support. As a leader and advocate for truth, I couldn’t have sustained the never-say-die spirit without the robust backing of these pillars. Adversities were met with determination, fueled by the belief that the pursuit of truth is a collective responsibility.

    In each challenge faced, be it financial hurdles, content creation demands, or the need for emotional resilience, the patrons, advertisers, readers, contributors, friends, and family stood steadfast. Their support became the driving force propelling The Indian Panorama forward.

    Prof. Saluja acted in the film ‘On Golden Years’, declared the best film at a New York Film Festival, with cast and crew

    Staying True to ‘EVER TRUTHFUL’

    Amid the storms and victories, The Indian Panorama has remained true to its motto, “EVER TRUTHFUL.” This commitment is not just a slogan but a guiding principle, a promise to our readers, and a testament to the collective effort that sustains the publication.

    The media club – Prof. Saluja with HR Shah of TV Asia, Dr Sudhir Parih of Desi Talk and ITV Gold, and Rajeev Bhambri of India Abroad

  • Indian media in America faces challenges and opportunities

    Publishers and editors reveal how they have been coping and the business strategies they have adopted.

    By Parveen Chopra
    Founder, ALotusInTheMud.com
    Founding Editor, The South Asian Times

    In 2020, India Abroad, known as the gold standard in ethnic newspapers in America, closed operations after 50 years in circulation. In 2022 New India Abroad was started by a different team.
    That tells you the story of Indian media in America. Down and up. Resilience and renewal. Learning and adapting.
    The downturn for all journalism – not just Indian ethnic media – has been caused by the ever-growing digital revolution. The 2008 economic meltdown was bad for the media too. Covid years were worse. Now, social media is the new villain in the journalism story. Many storied newspapers in the US have closed or curtailed operations.
    Indian ethnic media has been more vulnerable because of a lack of promoters with deep pockets for sustaining operations and a dearth of committed journalists doing quality work to keep readers engaged. Surprisingly, the big media houses from India have not ventured here.
    The need for quality journalism to serve the Indian community is greater than ever. For one, the community is growing – their numbers increased from about 3 million in 2010 to more than 4.5 million as per the 2020 census. Indian Americans make headlines as achievers in the US media and are referred to as a model minority.
    But being new immigrants, the community cannot let its guard down. Knowledge is power. It is the job of community media to bring to the notice of their readers issues that need collective action. And, becoming their voice, take their issues to officials and lawmakers concerned. For example, they need to keep hammering the US Congress to resolve the monstrous green card backlog for Indians.
    A new, combustible case is Washington state passing a law (now under consideration in California) banning discrimination based on caste, a practice allegedly extended here from India. Some Hindu groups condemned the move as anti-Indian. The community papers should be explaining the implications of the bill and build a consensus – for or against.
    Surely, all regions of the US with large Indian populations have community newspapers. But most of them have mainly ended up as aggregators compiling news and features available freely. In contrast, New York-based India Abroad once spawned editions in other diaspora countries and a news agency.
    India Abroad, under publisher Gopal Raju, even made press freedom history. They published a story linking megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s brother, Ajitabh Bachchan, to kickbacks in a defense deal. Ajitabh sued in London and won 40,000-pound damages in 1990. Raju fought the enforcement at home. US legacy media including The New York Times filed briefs in Raju’s support. Raju won.
    Unfortunately, declining ad revenue while honor-bound to keep printing copies to serve its 20,000+ paid subscribers made the paper a hot potato eventually.
    One contemporary of India Abroad was India West, a paper with big circulation on the West Coast. Its aging owners, Bina and Ramesh Murarka, shut it down when Covid struck.
    Today, a new opportunity has arisen for the Indian media. With the greater visibility of South Asians in many spheres of American life, it is time to tell their story to the mainstream. But to achieve that you need some gumption and broader vision.  Indian Americans are well-educated and high earners. Rightly leveraged, this market can support a vibrant media.
    So, what is blocking that from happening, and what is the way forward? Publishers and editors responded to reveal how they have been coping and the business strategies they have adopted.

    Business models in the mix

  • NINE INDIAN ORIGIN PERSONS RECEIVED PRESITIGIOUS GOPIO AWARD

    NINE INDIAN ORIGIN PERSONS RECEIVED PRESITIGIOUS GOPIO AWARD

    GOPIO Virginia released a Souvenir on the occasion. President Jay Bhandari is second from the left.
    A captivating dance performance
    David Bulova presenting a Proclamation to Jay Bhandari

    VIRGINIA (TIP): April 30 was our lucky day. GOPIO Virginia celebrated its 14th Anniversary and Award ceremony. Virginia Senators David Marsden and Chap Petersen and 43rd Speaker Eileen Filer Corn presented Prestigious award of Excellence to Nine members of Indian American who have significant achievements in the field of Education, Medicine, Science & Technology, Philanthropy, Arts & culture, Choreography and Community Service. The event was houseful and guest of Honors include Senators and Delegates from Virginia, Dev. Marsden, Chap Petersen, Eileen Filler- Corn, David Bulova, Holly Siebold and Fairfax County Chairman of Supervisors Jeff McKay. Several dignitaries from Diverse Asian, Hispanic, and American community leaders were also present. The program was sold out and Houseful.
    The following people of Indian Origin were given these awards by Virginia Senators David Marsden and Chap Petersen and speaker Eileen filer Corn –

    • Dr. Michael Rao President Virginia Commonwealth University in Education
    • Dr. Siva Subramaniam Emeritus Professor George Town University
    • Rahul Gupta Director of National Drug Policy Control (White House) in Public Service
    • Sant Gupta in Science & Technology
    • 5 Mayur Shah in Philanthropy
    • Vatsala Mehra (Arts & Culture) Gazal singer
    • Navin k KC (Arts & Culture) in Choreography
    • Rajeev Bhambri in Journalism
    • Mayur Modi in Community Service

      A view of the gathering

    The program began with Ganesh Vandana and US and Indian Anthem, President of GOPIO Virginia President Jay Bhandari in his remark, Welcome all Invited guest, and audience. And highlighted GOPIO Vision, Mission and activities. He mentioned that many people of Indian Origin are holding high positions in US and extremely accomplished and demonstrated innovations and leadership in almost every field. They have significantly contributed for building strong relationship between India and the USA towards economic, social, educational, and cultural progress of both these great nations. He congratulates All Awardees for receiving this year’s Prestigious GOPIO awards of Excellence in their field of expertise.
    After the award presentation a Cultural program comprising of Classical & Bollywood Dances and live music performance by singer and composers. The program ended with a 100 vegetarian 5 course dinner. The program was emceed by Dr. Ram Gupta and Mital Jain. Vote of thanks was given by Rohini Khera

  • SAMHIN Organizes Suicide Prevention Workshop – Finding Light at the End of the Tunnel

    SAMHIN Organizes Suicide Prevention Workshop – Finding Light at the End of the Tunnel

    Suicide results in more deaths than war, homicide and natural disasters combined. Over 42,000 people die by suicide in the U.S. every year. It is difficult to find anyone whose life has not been affected the suicide of someone they know.  Grief, confusion and guilt often plague those left behind.

     

    JERSEY CITY, NJ (TIP): On January 22, 2020, SAMHIN conducted an educational workshop on suicide prevention. The audience had an opportunity to hear from a panel of psychiatrists and suicide loss survivors. Presenters discussed the extent of the problem of suicide, warning signs and risk factors, and myths and facts about suicide and tips on preventing suicides.

    About 70 people from across Central and Northern New Jersey and NYC, majority being from Jersey City, attended the workshop on suicide prevention. The four-hour workshop at Vaibhav Restaurant in Jersey City was followed by a delicious dinner. Workshop was supported by a grant from Partnership for Healthier Jersey City. Hudson County Freeholder William O’Dea commented recognized the importance of getting help for depression and other mental illnesses that can lead a person to thoughts of suicide. He highlighted how frightening the rise in suicides is, especially in teenagers.

     

    Lily Arora, MD, an addiction psychiatrist and Anu Upadhyay, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist discussed common misconceptions about suicide and contrasted them with facts. For example, one myth is a belief that asking someone about thoughts of suicide could actually drive them to do it. In reality, reaching out to someone and asking them if there is something wrong could lead them to realize that such a drastic choice is not the right answer to their problems. Dr. Arora highlighted a correlation between living in isolation, or in areas with a larger presence of firearms with increased rates of suicide. Several presenters stressed that seeking treatment for mental illness helps to prevent suicides.

     

    Dr. Upadhyay reinforced the importance of every person’s ability to help prevent suicide in our society. She described the warning signs of suicide. She also provided excellent strategies to improve communication between teens and their parents that can help to mitigate these risks.

     

    Vasudev Makhija MD, a psychiatrist and president of SAMHIN, presented the alarming statistics of suicides. He explained that, even though suicides in New Jersey rank 49th in the country, it is still equivalent to 1 death every 11 hours in the state. He stressed that suicides can be prevented and preventing suicides is everyone’s business.

     

    Two suicide loss survivors, Richana Huertas and Shikha Sadhar, shared their deeply personal stories about losing their loved ones to suicide. Their poignant expressions of experiences as loss survivors reflected the importance of the presentations that evening. Suicide can rip families apart, and people need to know the repercussions it can have on one’s friends and family. We admire their courage for sharing their experiences. Their openness helped decrease stigma and made it easier for many other participants in the workshop to come forward and share their experiences of losses to suicide.

    Dr. Makhija and one of the survivors also mentioned the importance of support for loss survivors. Information was given on how to find a support group. Participants were told about the recently launched, SAMHIN-run support group, Janani, in Edison, NJ as an excellent resource for those dealing with the loss of a loved one to suicide.  Janani meets every Monday from 7:30pm – 9:00pm at New Dover United Methodist Church, 687 New Dover Rd, Edison, NJ. More information can be found by contacting Shikha at 908-280-2833 or online at www.samhin.org/janani. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Trained workers answer phones 24/7.

    SAMHIN, South Asian Mental Health Initiative & Network, is a non-profit organization that strives to address the mental health needs of the South Asians.

    (Report  by Aparna Kalbag, PhD, Advisory Panel, SAMHIN and Anoushka Buddhikot, SAMHIN volunteer. www.samhin.org)