Author: Deepika chandrasekar

History Created for India: SpaceX Dragon ‘Grace’ Carrying Shubhanshu Shukla Docks at Space Station After a 41-year hiatus, India marked its return to human spaceflight as Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. With this, Shukla becomes the first Indian to reach the ISS and the second Indian ever in space after Rakesh Sharma’s legendary flight in 1984. The Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4), carried aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’, docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 6:30 a.m. ET (4:00 p.m. IST). The mission includes a four-member crew: Commander Peggy…

India’s Dollar Millionaires to Surge 55% by 2029: BCG Report India’s wealth management market is witnessing a dramatic transformation, with the number of dollar millionaires projected to grow by over 55 per cent from 2024 to 2029. This growth rate significantly surpasses the global average of 21 per cent, according to a new report released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Between 2014 and 2024, wealth managers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region achieved a 50 per cent rate of organic growth — more than double that of peers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and North America. This surge is…

In June 2025, Harjot Singh stepped into his new position as Federal Advocacy Manager at the Sikh Coalition, a leading civil rights organization in the United States. In this critical role, Singh will work on shaping the organization’s federal-level advocacy, focusing on congressional legislation, executive branch policies, and long-term initiatives that support Sikh civil rights and religious freedom across the nation. Before joining the Coalition, Singh amassed significant experience in the fields of public policy, human rights research, and grassroots mobilization. Most recently, he worked as a Human Rights Fellow at the Human Rights Center within the UC Berkeley School…

Elon Musk is well known for challenging the limits of science and industry, but behind his futuristic ventures are several remarkable Indian-origin professionals who are turning his ambitious ideas into concrete results. Ashok Elluswamy, a native of Tamil Nadu, has been the driving force behind Tesla’s groundbreaking self-driving technology. He was the first engineer hired for Tesla’s Autopilot division in 2014 and now leads the company’s AI Software unit as Vice President. Despite working with limited computing resources at the start—just 384 KB of memory—Elluswamy and his team built Tesla’s autonomy framework from the ground up. Musk himself has acknowledged…

India will not face a shortage of fuels despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has assured. Addressing concerns related to the Israel-Iran conflict and rising geopolitical risks following U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Puri emphasized that India has diversified its energy supply sources and reduced its dependence on routes vulnerable to disruption. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has strategically ensured that a large portion of its oil imports no longer pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route near…

A startling revelation by a prominent Pakistani defense analyst has ignited serious debate about the depth of military cooperation between the United States and Pakistan. Imtiaz Gul, a widely known security expert, has asserted that the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi—one of Pakistan’s most strategically sensitive military facilities—is effectively under the control of American forces. This statement, made public through a video circulating across social platforms, comes on the heels of India’s Operation Sindoor, a precision military response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. India’s coordinated strike targeted several Pakistani air bases, including the Nur Khan facility, raising critical questions…

India’s economic outlook is strengthening with improving macro indicators, according to a new report from Motilal Oswal Private Wealth (MOPW) released on Friday. The report highlights an increasingly supportive environment for growth across various sectors, driven by domestic demand, stable inflation, and policy alignment. India’s GDP grew by 7.4% in Q4 FY25, marking the strongest quarterly growth in the past year. This expansion reflects rising momentum across industries and highlights the resilience of the Indian economy amid global uncertainties. Inflation has remained below 4% for four consecutive months, offering relief to consumers and strengthening the purchasing power in the economy.…

Divya Deshmukh Beats World No.1, PM Modi Applauds Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised India’s rising chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for her remarkable win over World No. 1 Hou Yifan during the second leg of the blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships held in London. The 18-year-old, representing Hexamind Chess Club, went head-to-head with Chinese grandmaster Hou Yifan, who played for the WR Chess Team. In a tense 74-move game, Divya capitalized on a rare endgame blunder by Yifan to secure a stunning victory—her first ever against the top-ranked player. “Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the…

Professor Anantha Chandrakasan, a prominent academic originally from Chennai, has been named the next provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), marking a historic milestone as the first Indian-American to assume this prestigious leadership position. He will officially take office on July 1. Currently serving as MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, Chandrakasan also holds the role of dean of engineering. He was selected from a pool of distinguished internal candidates. MIT President Sally Kornbluth highlighted his exceptional ability to lead transformative initiatives across the institute. As provost, Chandrakasan will take on one of MIT’s most vital responsibilities —…

Stanford Graduate School of Business alumna Gayatri Datar (MBA ’14), co-founder and CEO of EarthEnable, has been honored with the prestigious President’s Award for Advancement of the Common Good. This award is granted to alumni who use their education and talent to create meaningful, sustainable changes in people’s lives—demonstrating Stanford’s commitment to social responsibility and ethical service. Datar’s path to making a difference began during a student trip to Rwanda as part of Stanford’s “Design for Extreme Affordability” course at the d.school. While visiting the country, she spoke with a single mother of three living in a home with cracked…